Ever the Same
by gleekinout
Summary: Sequel to Into Your Arms. Five years has passed since the epilogue. Rachel and Noah's marriage is collapsing as fighting and trust issues plague them. A flight to the opening of a brand new resort goes wrong and they find themselves in a familiar position. Determined, the two fight against the odds to return to their son...and maybe find their way back to each other in the process.
1. Chapter 1

If Noah had to pinpoint the moment his and Rachel's marriage ended, it would be the day of Nathan's second birthday. That was two years ago, but that was when Noah knew they weren't going to make it.

He and Rachel got married shortly after Nathan was born and had been married since. Noah didn't know why it all went wrong, he just knew it did.

They started fighting. It was just little things, but it started making life unpleasant. If it had just been the fighting, he thought they could have survived that, gotten over that.

But then Jesse St. James and his wife, Dianna, got divorced. It was all over the tabloids that he had cheated, that she had found him in bed with another woman, that he was sleeping with a close friend of his.

The fighting turned to suspicion and jealousy. Noah was _convinced_ Rachel was the reason Jesse and his wife divorced. After all, she had changed her whole life for him—she moved to LA to star in _his_ movie, even though her boyfriend was in San Francisco. She bent over backwards for Jesse, but never did the same for Noah.

Rachel swore time and time again that nothing was going on between her and Jesse, but there was always that little voice in the back of Noah's head that told him she was lying.

He wasn't sure when he started sleeping on the couch instead of in their bed, but after the first night on the couch, he never went back to the bed.

He wanted a divorce. He wanted out of the marriage badly, but he didn't want to abandon his son. Then there was Rachel. She was terrified what a divorce would do to her reputation.

So they stayed unhappily married for another two years.

Noah was sick of it. He was sick of pretending to be happy for the cameras, sick of accompanying her to movie premieres, sick of resenting her for keeping him trapped in a loveless marriage.

The only thing he loved was their son. Nathan. Nathan was a skinny little runt of a kid who idolized his father. Anywhere Noah went, Nathan followed.

Since Rachel was always busy with this movie or that interview, Noah spent most of his time with Nathan. He refused to get a nanny, wanting to raise his own son instead of pay someone else to do it.

Noah knew things were going to get even worse than they already were when Rachel got an offer to be on Broadway. She had originally planned to do that before they got married, but then she got pregnant with their son and had to back out of the show.

Now, however, she was in the best shape of her life and was itching to go to New York. Noah could have cared less—if she was on the other side of the country, he wouldn't have to put up an act all the time. He could stay in California with his son and enjoy life for once.

Rachel, however, wasn't planning on leaving Nathan with him. She wanted him with her in New York.

That night, they had a huge fight, complete with screaming and name calling. Noah knew if he didn't get out of there, he would actually hurt her.

So he left. He didn't _leave_, he just left for the night. He spent the night at Kurt's, staying up the whole night telling Kurt exactly what had happened to his marriage.

Kurt had moved to Los Angeles not long after graduating from Tisch. He'd done a few movies with Rachel, but he enjoyed TV more. He'd been the lead on the same show for five years now and had won an Emmy each year for it.

Kurt, even though he was Rachel's best friend, still felt for Noah. The man was unhappy, and he thought it was awful how Rachel was keeping him in a marriage neither of them wanted.

When Noah returned home, Rachel was pacing back and forth.

"Where have you been?" she snapped, not bothering to even say hello.

"Out," he said, looking around for his son. "Where's Nathan?" he asked.

"Napping, so keep your voice down. He just fell asleep and I don't want to wake him up." She sat down on the couch, leaning her head back. "Have you decided what you're going to do about New York?"

Rachel had been nagging him for weeks about New York. He still hadn't given her permission to take his son to New York for six months. The logical answer would be for him to come too, but he wanted the space form Rachel. He didn't want to have to pretend in another city that they were still in love.

"I don't want you to take him with you," Noah said quietly, taking a seat beside her, though he didn't touch her. "I want you to leave him here. You're going to be busy all the time, you'll never even notice he's not there."

"Noah, I'm not spending six months away from my child."

"But that's what you're asking me to do!" he snapped.

"No, I said you can come. You're the one who's being difficult and deciding to stay here instead of come with your wife and son to New York."

Noah sighed, resting his head in his hands. He knew what he had to do, and he knew how she was going to react. But it had to be done.

"Listen, I know we have to go away this weekend for the opening of the resort on our island. I promise I'll play along and do whatever you want while we're there. But when we come back, I'm getting a lawyer and filing for divorce. I can't do this anymore, Rachel. I'm sick of pretending we're something that we're not."

Noah was expecting shouted, yelling, cursing—he wouldn't have been surprised if she slapped him. Instead, he heard her let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you mean that?" she asked, not a trace of anger in her voice.

"Yes, I do. I'm sick of sleeping on the couch. I went to Kurt's last night and talked it over with him. He thinks it's for the best too. I know you're worried about what people will say, but we'll just tell people the truth—we grew apart."

Rachel nodded her head. "I knew this day was coming. And to tell you the truth, I'm kind of relieved. I'm sick of pretending as well. It'll be nice to finally go out in public and not have to pretend I'm happy when I'm not."

Noah bit his lip, bringing up the one thing that was going to be a problem. "What about Nathan? What are we going to do with him? I don't want this to turn ugly, Rachel, but I'm not going to give up my son."

"I know you're not." She placed her hand on top of his. Noah let her keep it there, not pulling back like he normally would. For once, they were acting like adults. "We'll discuss it with our lawyers. But I'm willing to share custody of him if you are."

Noah smiled—the first real one in months—and nodded his head. "Yes, I think that would be best. You can keep the house in Los Angeles and I'll get an apartment."

"Don't be silly, Noah. I'm going to be in New York for the next six months. You'll stay here with Nathan while I'm gone—maybe you can bring him out a few times a month so I can see him. Then, we'll buy another house nearby for when I return. I don't want this to be too stressful for our son. He needs stability."

Noah nodded his head in agreement. "He does. We have time to figure this out." He leaned forward and kissed Rachel on the forehead, a gesture he'd gotten so used to doing over the years. "I still have to finish packing for tomorrow. What time are we leaving?"

"Nine. The flight's at eleven. My fathers are landing in a few hours, so they should be here by dinner time. I'd rather not mention this to them. Not yet. We'll tell everyone when we get back, okay?"

"Yes, I agree. I don't want anyone leaking anything to the press until after the resort opening. They expect us to be in love for that. After all, it's a couple's resort."

xxxxx

Rachel and Noah had been sitting on the plane in silence for over an hour. Neither one knew what to say to the other. She knew they'd have to start acting like they were in love again soon, but for once, it was nice not to have to pretend.

Noah had had a few drinks already and looked close to passing out. Rachel had decided to stay sober—she tended to say whatever was on her mind when she drank.

Rachel still wasn't comfortable flying. She would fly occasionally, but nothing over six hours. This flight, however, was nine, and it was already a challenge for Rachel.

As soon as they boarded, she shut the shade on the window, not wanting to look out at the air. She had hoped to sleep, but that proved impossible. Instead, she watched movie after movie on the little TV in front of her seat.

She heard a snore and looked to her left. Noah was fast asleep, his head lolling onto her shoulder. She wasn't looking forward to nursing a hung over Noah, but it would most likely be the last time she ever had to do that.

Rachel thought she'd be mourning the end of her marriage, but she wasn't. She was relieved. Sure, she was going to miss Noah at times, but now she could finally move on with her life.

She knew people would speculate about her and Jesse, but the truth was she'd never even kissed Jesse since she'd been with Noah.

She and Jesse were more like siblings than friends. She couldn't imagine starting a relationship with him, even if her agent thought it would be a good career move.

Rachel knew the real reason behind his and Dianna's split, but she'd been sworn to secrecy. So, when Noah started accusing her of breaking up his marriage, she couldn't tell him the real reason for the split, as much as she wanted to. Perhaps that could have saved her own marriage, but she wasn't going to betray her oldest friend like that.

Rachel felt the plane shake slightly and was seized by a slight panic, but the turbulence stopped a moment later and she relaxed.

She was being silly. It was close to impossible for two people to be in a plane crash twice. Besides, turbulence was normal. The plane was going to land fine, they'd open the resort, then go home and back to their lives.

The stewardess walked past her, asking if she wanted anything. Rachel shook her head, going back to her movie. Nothing was wrong. Everything was fine.

However, when the plane lurched forward after a deafening bang, Rachel knew things were not fine. Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.

Noah's eyes flew open as the plane began dropping quickly. He looked around, disoriented. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice slurred from sleep and alcohol.

Rachel looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head. "I don't know," she whispered, gripping his shirt tightly. "There was a bang and now we're falling."

It was true. The plane was falling. The overhead baggage dropped into the aisles as the air masks descended from the ceiling. Rachel grabbed hers, pulling it over her mouth, breathing rapidly.

Noah did the same, attempting to remain calm for Rachel's sake. People were screaming, holding onto their seats for dear life.

Noah reached under his seat, grabbing the life preserved he knew was there.

Just in case.

There was another deafening blow as the second half of the plane was ripped off. Rachel turned back, looking as it fell before a loud explosion. She closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer for everyone who had been in the back of the plane.

The front half started spinning, moving faster towards the earth. Noah put his arms around Rachel, holding her close as he leaned his head forward, murmuring instructions to her.

"Rachel, we're going to crash. You and I both know it. But we also survived this once before. We can do it again. If we hit the water, I want you to grab your seat and swim up as fast as you can. Get to the surface before the plane pulls you down with it."

"Noah, I can't," she said, starting to cry. "I'm not strong like you. I don't even remember the last crash. I was knocked out, remember?"

"Rachel, stay with me!" he yelled. "I know you're scared and I know you think we're going to die, but we're not. We're survivors, Rachel. You and me. We're strong, and we're going to live through this again. So, if we land in the water, you're going to take your seat cushion and swim like hell for the surface. Got it?"

Rachel nodded her head frantically. "Yes, yes, I got it! What about you?" she asked.

"I'm going to find the safety raft."

"Noah, no," she whispered. "You'll drown trying. I can't do this without you. I need you to stay with me."

"No, Rachel. We need that raft. I'm going to find it, and then I'm going to get out of here and find you. We'll get in the raft and try to find land like last time. We can do it. Say it with me, Rachel."

"We can do it," she whispered.

"Louder!" Noah shouted as the plane sped forward, the water quickly approaching.

"We can do it!" she cried. "We can do this Noah. We're survivors!"

"That's right. We're survivors. We can do this. We have to. For Nathan."

Rachel took his hand in hers and nodded. "For Nathan," she whispered as the plane hit the water.


	2. Chapter 2

Leroy Berry could remember with perfect accuracy the moment he found out his teenage daughter's plane was missing and she was presumed dead.

He'd just gotten back from his cycling class at the gym and was preparing to take a shower when he decided to check the messages—Hiram had left that morning for a business trip and wouldn't be back for a few days.

He'd only had one message—a very frantic Will Schuester had left a message instructing the Berry's to call him back as soon as possible.

Leroy assumed Rachel was panicking because the airline had lost her luggage or something, so he'd called Will, preparing to talk his daughter down from one of her legendary freak outs.

What he wasn't prepared for was the news he got.

Will explained the whole situation—the airline had messed up and sent his daughter and Noah Puckerman to New Zealand instead of New York.

Leroy was annoyed at that, but it would all be fine. They'd get on a plane to New York as soon as they landed and hopefully make it in time for Nationals—he knew his daughter would do everything in her power to make sure they were there in time for New Directions to perform.

Will Schuester's next words, however, cause Leroy Berry's entire world to collapse. The plane was missing. The airline didn't know where it was. Everyone on board, Rachel and Noah included, was presumed dead.

Leroy had muttered something before hanging the phone up, refusing to believe this was really happening. He turned on the television, and there it was.

A plane to New Zealand had disappeared with the presumption that it had crashed. No survivors were expected.

The months he went searching for Rachel were horrible, and when he finally got her back, he was determined to never let something like that happen again.

Unfortunately, something like that was out of his control.

Leroy was getting Nathan up from a nap when he got the call. At first, he figured it was Rachel or Noah telling them they'd landed, but they wouldn't have landed yet. Rachel had told him when they were due to land, and that wasn't for hours.

Curious, he answered the phone and was greeted from someone from the airline. She explained the whole situation—Rachel and Noah's plane had stopped answering their radio and they couldn't locate it on any satellites. She didn't sound hopeful.

Leroy hung up the phone, the horror he'd experienced once before flooding his body. He wanted to break down and cry over his daughter, but he had his grandson to think about.

So he brought Nathan downstairs, placing him in front of the TV and putting a movie on before searching for Hiram.

He found him in the kitchen reading his book without a care in the world. He didn't know yet.

"Hiram," Leroy whispered, clutching the wall for support.

Hiram looked up, concerned as he took in his husband's appearance. "Leroy? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Rachel's plane is missing. It's happened again."

xxxxx

Rachel followed Noah's instructions and got out of the plane as fast as possible. She stumbled over the unconscious bodies in the emergency exit row, blocking their faces out from her mind.

A woman and her young son had been sitting there, their hands clutching on another. The woman's face was all cut up, her shirt covered in blood. The son had a piece of metal piercing his chest.

Rachel was pretty sure they were both dead.

She pulled the door open, a huge burst of water coming through as she did so. Rachel fell to the ground as the cabin quickly filled with water.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel ducked under the water and swam out through the door, keeping her focus on the surface and the surface only. If there were sharks or whales around, she didn't notice them.

Noah's instructions kept playing in her head. _"We're survivors, Rachel. You and me. We're strong, and we're going to live through this again. So, if we land in the water, you're going to take your seat cushion and swim like hell for the surface. Got it?" _

Get to the surface, get to the surface. Rachel kicked with all her might before her head breached the water and she could breathe again.

Rachel looked around, realizing she was the only one out of the plane. The left wing was sticking out of the ocean as burning pieces of wreckage floated around her.

She grabbed her seat cushion, hugging it to her chest to stay afloat.

She didn't see Noah anywhere.

Noah hadn't told her what to do next. She didn't see land anywhere. She was in the middle of the ocean with no end in sight. She might be able to swim a little, but soon she'd grow tired and be shark food by midnight.

She didn't want to split up. Noah may have thought Rachel was strong, but she wasn't. She couldn't be alone like this. She didn't know _how_ to be alone. The thought of Noah dead in that plane was something terrifying.

And this right here was what their problems boiled down to. Communication. Rachel wanted Noah to come with her, to forget the raft. Noah ignored her and did what he want with no regards to how she felt.

She wasn't blaming him for how they'd ended up, she just wasn't taking all the blame. Marriage was a partnership, and somewhere along the way they'd forgotten that.

Rachel was about to start swimming away from the plane when a yellow raft emerged from underwater, followed by Noah. He tossed something into the raft before climbing in himself.

"Come on, Rachel!" he called to her. She flanked at him, noticing a large gash across his forehead. She hoped he hadn't gotten that doing something stupid.

Rachel paddled over to the raft, tossing the cushion in before Noah pulled her out of the water. The raft was large—built for more than two, but Rachel and Noah were the only ones there.

Rachel looked around, seeing the singular suitcase in the raft. It was hers and Noah's—they'd decided to share a suitcase instead of bringing two. They were only supposed to be gone for three days.

That was clearly different now. Who knew how long they were going to be gone this time. Last time it had been 128 days, and the only reason they'd been found was because they flagged down a ship. It was unlikely anyone would come looking for them this time—you only had so much luck before it ran out.

Rachel buried her face in her hands and let out a sob. She'd done this once before. She wasn't ready to do it again.

Noah looked over at Rachel, his heart aching for her. Just because he didn't want to be married to her anymore didn't mean he didn't care. He did care. He cared about her more than he wanted her to know.

"Hey, don't cry," he said, scooting close to her. Noah put an arm around Rachel's shoulders, holding her close to him. "It's going to be okay. They'll find us. We'll be out here two days. Three tops."

Rachel looked up at him, wiping an eye. "How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Stay so calm when everything around you is a disaster? Even last time, you managed to stay calm enough to rescue me and get us to an island. And here we are again, and yet you're still so calm. You're not screaming or crying or even freaking out."

"Well what good's that going to do? Curling in the fetal position and moping over how life isn't going according to plan isn't going to help. Doing something is."

"You may think that's the case, but you also forget that you're not the only one here. I'm here too and you have to think about me when you decide to do something. Like when you decided to go searching for the raft and sent me to the surface, do you know what that's like? I didn't know what I was supposed to do. What if you'd drowned? What was I supposed to do then?"

"Survive, Rachel. You act like you're this helpless little girl, that you can't do anything unless someone tells you. But you and I both know that isn't true. You survived before and you'll survive again, with or without me there to help you."

"But I do need your help, Noah," Rachel said quietly. "You forget how you did everything last time. You even forget how you had to tell me how to save myself minutes ago. You assume all these things about me as truths when that's not the case."

"Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about me leaving you to go after the raft anymore?"

Rachel sighed, pulling away from him. "Just forget it. It doesn't matter, anyways. Like you said, they'll find us soon. We'll be back home and you'll get your divorce." She scooted away from him, sitting on the other side of the raft. She curled into a ball, shivering in her wet clothes.

Noah fell silent, his arms over his chest. She was right. This would all be over soon and he'd only have to see her when dropping Nathan off or picking him up.

The fact that Rachel was no longer going to be part of his life made him a bit uneasy. Rachel had been everything to him since he was 17. Deep down, she still was, he just didn't realize it. He didn't realize how unhappy he would be without her.

Noah looked over at Rachel, who was silently crying as she attempted to fall asleep. There was nothing Noah hated more than seeing Rachel cry. She may have not believed she was a strong woman, but he knew she was. She'd survived so much. Even if she thought she needed him last time, he needed her just as much.

xxxxx

Rachel woke up as the raft gave a sudden lurch, coming to a stop on a beach. Noah had already climbed out and towed her and the raft ashore. Rachel sat up, looking around.

The sense of déjà vu was profound. It may not have been the same island, but the feelings were the same. The sense of dread, the possibility that she was never going to see her family again—she felt them then and she was feeling them now.

Rachel cautiously climbed out of the raft, carefully walking on the beach. She really wasn't dressed for an island—tight jeans, a tank top, and a sweater over it with a pair of black flats. It took her a minute to lose the shoes and another minute to ditch the sweater.

Rachel walked over to the raft, dragging the suitcase out of it and onto the sand. Noah was walking around, his sleeves rolled up as he dragged logs from the jungle and onto the beach.

Rachel sat on top of the suitcase, staring out at the water. Her stomach was growling and her throat was dry. She needed food and water, but so far they didn't have either.

"Noah," she called out hoarsely.

Noah was in the process of dragging a large log onto the beach when he heard Rachel's voice. "Yeah?" he asked, pausing for a moment to wipe his brow.

"I'm hungry. And thirsty. We need to find food and water."

"Then go find it. I'm doing something right now."

"But I don't want to go in there by myself," she mumbled.

Noah let out an annoyed sigh. "Look Rachel, I'm trying to help us. We need some kind of shelter, even if it's just for a few days. If you're so damn hungry and thirsty, why don't you go trek into the jungle and find it yourself instead of sitting on your ass and feeling sorry for yourself."

Rachel was taken aback. Noah never spoke to her like that. Even when they were fighting, he tried to keep things civil as to not offend her. Apparently, he didn't care anymore.

"Fine!" she snapped, rising to her feet. "I'll do something to actually keep us alive instead of playing Legos with tree trunks!"

Rachel bent down and picked up her shoes, stomping away from him. Noah didn't even look in her direction as she marched into the woods, her shoes still in her hands.

Stupid Noah. Stupid plane crash. Stupid life. Rachel didn't even care about the hunger or thirst anymore—she just wanted to get off the beach and away from him.

Two steps into the jungle and Rachel put her shoes back on. They weren't exactly the best shoes for walking around a jungle covered in rocks and broken tree branches, but she didn't have the foresight to grab her sneakers out of the suitcase. Besides, they were probably still soaking wet anyways.

Rachel passed by a palm tree, letting her hand run over the trunk as she passed by it. She felt her stomach doing somersaults as she walked deeper and deeper into the jungle. During their previous crash, Noah would never let her go into the jungle on her own—he always claimed he was protecting her for Finn's sake, but Rachel realized eventually it was because he cared for her.

Now, however, that didn't seem to matter. She supposed their marriage really was over if he was letting her walk into a mysterious jungle without any sort of protection.

Noah heaved another log onto the beach before glancing around. Rachel was gone, and he instantly felt bad. He shouldn't have yelled at her like that. She was in shock.

She was in shock and he let her walk into the jungle alone. They didn't even know what lived here—there could be bears in there, and he was letting her walk to them like some kind of meal on wheels.

Muttering to himself, Noah headed into the trees. He really wished he had some sort of weapon, but that wasn't something he typically packed. Noah made a mental note to himself that the next time he flew, he was packing a set of knives in his suitcase.

Or a gun. Either worked.

Noah followed the path left by Rachel. She wasn't exactly quiet and she left an obvious trail, which made it easy to find her.

She was standing by a tree, looking very confused as if she were lost. She probably was.

"Need some help?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Rachel turned to face him, fury in her eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you were doing something 'useful' while I was just sitting on my ass," she snapped.

Noah rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was out of line. I'm just stressed out, just like you are. Forgive me?"

Rachel huffed and refused to look at him before finally nodding her head. "Next time you talk to me like that, I kick you in the balls first, ask questions later."

"Noted. Found anything to eat yet?" he asked, starting to feel hunger pains in his stomach.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I just…haven't seen anything yet," she fibbed, not wanting to admit she'd gotten lost.

"You got lost," Noah teased, elbowing her in the side.

Rachel gave him a look. "I resent that, Noah. I am not lost. I'm just not quite sure where I am. Besides, it's your fault I got lost in the first place. You told me to go look for food and water without offering to help."

"Aw, I didn't mean that, Rach. You were being a pain and I was being a sarcastic asshole. I didn't really mean for you to go tromping through the jungle without me to help you."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't need your help to go through the jungle. I am perfectly capable of walking without help."

"I don't think so. You got lost after two minutes. Face it babe—you need me. Plus, I can't trust you to protect yourself from whatever's in here."

"I don't need protection!" she yelled, her voice shrill. That just caused Noah to laugh. "Stop laughing at me!" she whined.

The exchange was very reminiscent of their first crash. Rachel insisting she could take care of herself and Noah putting his foot in his mouth by saying she couldn't because she was a girl.

"Rach, let's look at the facts. You've said more than once that you wouldn't have survived last time or this time without me. Therefore, you need me to protect you."

Rachel scowled at him, clearly pissed. He loved how she looked when she was angry at him. The way her eyebrows creased—there was something inherently sexy about it. Though, if he said that right now, she'd probably slap him. Or throw a coconut at his head—whichever she thought would cause more pain.

"I still don't need you to protect me," she muttered, turning away from him.

Noah followed her, keeping his distance in case she found something to throw at his head. He didn't think he'd help their situation any by having a concussion.

Noah heard the waterfall before he saw it. Rachel pushed a branch out of the way, happening upon a rather large lake with a large waterfall emptying into it.

"See? I don't need your help," Rachel said, sticking her tongue out at him. Noah declined to comment that he was directing her where to turn during the whole walk.

Rachel rushed to the edge, dropping to her knees and scooping some of the water in her hands, emptying it into her mouth. The cool water felt wonderful on her dry throat.

Noah hunched over beside her, drinking some of the water as well. It didn't do anything for the hunger, but it helped the dehydration.

Noah looked over at Rachel before standing up, pulling his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground.

Rachel glanced up at him, a few drops of water falling from her lips. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Going for a swim, obviously. You're welcome to join me," he said, kicking his shoes off before loosening the belt on his jeans, letting them fall so he was left in just his boxers.

Rachel felt her face heat up. She hadn't seen Noah this exposed since she accidentally walked in on him stepping out of the shower. They hadn't been _together_ in over a year. Yet here he was, disrobing like it was nobody's business.

"I think I'll pass," she muttered.

"Suit yourself, princess," Noah said with a shrug before diving into the water.

Rachel watched him with fascination, unable to pull her eyes off his body. She couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful he really was. Noah was handsome—she'd always known that. But it was more than his looks that caused her to originally fall in love with him.

Noah had a good heart, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. He proved it today. He talked her through getting out of the plane and saving herself, got her to safety once they were out of the plane, and even came after her in the jungle because he didn't think she'd be safe without him. It was a sweet gesture, even if it was mildly insulting at the same time.

Noah kicked to the surface, spitting some water out of his mouth as he ran his hands over his head, wiping the water from his face. He turned, finding Rachel staring at him. "See something you like?" he teased, a smirk on his face.

He couldn't help but laugh at Rachel's reaction to his statement. Her face went bright red and she turned her face away from him as if she were ashamed.

"Oh come on. The water won't kill you," he laughed, splashing water in her direction.

Rachel gave him a look that said she was going to kill him. At first he thought she was going to storm off again and he'd have to track her down, but she surprised him by pulling her shirt off, leaving her in her black bra and jeans. She pulled the jeans off before jumping into the water, splashing him in the process.

Rachel swam to the surface, pushing her hair back. She suddenly became aware of how close Noah was to her. She looked up at him, the memory of their last crash coming back as clear as if it had happened yesterday.

_Rachel looked up at Puck as he looked down at her. Their eyes met before his lips were pressed against hers, consuming them in an intense kiss._

_Rachel had lost all sense of reason. She was sad. She wasn't thinking. Puck was there. She was lonely. Those were all excuses running through her mind about what she was doing. But she knew they were all a lie. She knew the real reason she was kissing Noah Puckerman._

_She wanted him._

_Puck let his lips continue to meet hers, his one hand resting on the small of her back while his other reached up to tangle in her hair. His tongue traced along her bottom lip before it pushed through her lips and met with hers. She let her hand trail down the defined muscles of his abs before reaching the waistband of his boxers, hooking a thumb into them._

_Instantly, Puck pulled away. "Rachel, wait," he said. "We can't do this. Not here. Not now."_

_Rachel pulled back as well, frowning a little. "Why not?" she asked, the hurt clear in her voice. Did he not want her? Not in that way at least?_

_Puck shook his head, hearing her disappointment. "No, Rachel. It's not that I don't want this. Really, I do. But you deserve more than a quick fuck in the lake. You deserve romance. Courting. You need to make me work for it. Because you're worth that and so much more."_

It had been where he first kissed her so long ago. This was a different lake, but she still associated it with their first kiss. Rachel felt her face heat up as she remembered what their kiss had felt like, the way his lips had meshed perfectly with hers.

"What's on your mind?" Noah asked softly, bending down in the water so he was eye level with her.

Rachel looked up, her brown eyes meeting his. "Do you remember our first kiss?" she asked quietly, looking away a moment later as if she were ashamed for even bringing the subject up.

Noah chuckled, floating on his back in the water, propelling himself so he was circling her. "Of course I do. That's not something people tend to forget. We were in the lake on our old island. And you looked so sad and so beautiful at the same time. I couldn't help myself. I had to kiss you. So I did."

Rachel watched him circling her and was struck with a sudden impulsive feeling. She stopped him, pulling him to his feet. Noah watched her with an arched brow before she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his.

Noah's eyes opened wide, stunned. He hadn't been expecting that. Rachel hadn't kissed him like that in months. It wasn't the fake kisses they shared in public. This was a real kiss—both he and Rachel knew it.

Noah wasn't sure how to react. He could put his arms around her and kiss her back, he could push her back, he could pull her close—there were so many options.

Before he had a chance, Rachel pulled back, sensing his hesitation. Horrified, she covered her mouth, her face on fire.

She took one look at him before letting out a pained noise, backing away from him. She swam for the edge, pulling herself out. She quickly pulled her clothes into her arms, sprinting away from him.

Noah saw the look in her eyes. Embarrassment. Shame. Humiliation. She'd put herself out there just then and he hadn't done anything. He'd just stood there like an idiot.

He knew he should go after her and make her feel better, but right now, he was probably the last person on earth she wanted to see.

Instead, Noah gathered up his clothing, heading back to the beach. Rachel needed her space, and so did he.

He resumed assembling a shelter for the two of them, using braided palm leaves to bind everything together.

As he assembled a roof for them, his mind kept drifting back to the kiss. He didn't know what it meant for her, but he knew what it meant for him. The way his body reacted to her. His heart had sped up and he felt the blood course through his veins the moment her lips touched his.

He was still in love with her.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Oh my gosh, thank you everyone who's taken the time to read this and actually enjoys this story. The response to it has stunned me in a good way. Thank you to everyone who has alerted, favorite, or reviewed this story.**

It took Judith Puckerman two hours after finding out about her son missing to get on a plane and head to Los Angeles. Amy, who was in her last year of medical school in Seattle, also hopped on a plane, the two of them meeting at Noah and Rachel's house.

Hiram and Leroy were there, obviously, their eyes glued to the television. None of them knew what to say to one another. Amy and Judith just took a seat on the couch as they watched the news uncover the wreckage from the ocean.

They were calling off search efforts, declaring everyone on board dead.

"No!" Amy gasped, sinking to her knees. "It's not true. They're not dead!" she sobbed. "They can't be dead. I just talked to Rachel a few days ago!"

Leroy got up off the couch, leading Amy upstairs so she could lie down and relax.

They still hadn't told Nathan anything. What were they supposed to tell him? The little boy remained clueless to his parent's fates, though he'd started asking when Daddy was going to be home.

Hiram flipped the television off, unable to watch anymore. They were talking about Rachel and Noah now—that's all anyone was going to be talking about for the next few months. The only two survivors of a deadly plane crash the victims of a different crash. Talk about irony.

"Well, this simply won't do," Judith said, rising to her feet. Hiram watched her walk into the kitchen and heard her pulling something out of a cabinet.

He followed her, leaning against the wall as he observed her flipping through a phone book. "Judy, what are you doing?" he asked, raking a hand through his hair.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Hiram? The news is wrong. Rachel and my son aren't dead. They're alive, just like last time."

Hiram let out a sigh. "Judy, I know you want to have hope because of what happened before, but—"

"I know it's crazy, but I know he's not dead. I gave birth to that boy. I raised him his whole life. I watched him graduate college. I would feel it in my heart if he was dead. But I didn't. He's still alive, Hiram. And, if I know anything about my son, he'd make sure your daughter survived that crash. He loves that girl more than life itself."

Hiram took a seat at the table beside her. "Okay, say they are alive. How is browsing the phone book going to help us?"

"Because we're going to hire a private boat and find them ourselves. Face it, Hiram. They called off the search for them. They found the wrecked plane and declared everyone dead. The only way we're going to find our children is if we go out and search for them ourselves."

"What about Amy? And Nathan? We can't just leave them here while we go on a search for Rachel and Noah."

"We'll bring them with us. Amy's in no state to go back to school. She might even be helpful on the search."

"So we go on a search with the two of us, Leroy, your daughter who's on the verge of a mental breakdown, and a four-year old. Sounds like a winning team."

"Don't give me that, Hiram. We have something another search team wouldn't have."

"And what exactly is that, Judy?" Hiram asked with a sigh.

"Determination and the truth. We _know_ they're alive. And we won't give up until we find them."

"How exactly are we going to go about finding them, then? It's not as if we can use a megaphone and yell out their names with the hope they'll answer us," Hiram said sarcastically.

"There's no need to be rude, Hiram," Judith scolded. She pulled out a map, placing an X on it. "That's where they found the plane." She drew a large circle around it. "That's where we search. We'll go to every island in that area and search it. Search for any clue of them. We'll keep searching until we find them."

"Judy, this is insane. We can't just go around searching every island for them. What if they really are dead? We'll just be wasting our time."

"We have to try, Hiram. These are our children. What kind of parents would we be if we just gave up?"

Hiram let out a sigh. "Horrible parents." He pulled out his cell phone, taking Judith's hand as he called the boat company.

xxxxx

Rachel made her way back to camp an hour and a half after running from the lake, a bushel of bananas in her arms. She didn't look at Noah and he didn't look at her.

She dropped them on the beach, walking over to her suitcase, opening it. The clothes she had brought were more appropriate for a luxury hotel, not a deserted island. To be fair, that's where she was supposed to be right now. Not here on this island.

She looked for something useful in there, but there was nothing. Dresses, high heels, make up, a hair dryer, diamond jewelry—nothing that would be of any use here.

Frustrated, she kicked the suitcase, letting out a squeal of pain a moment later. She made a mental note to never kick a full suitcase with bare feet again.

Puck glanced over at her, letting out a small chuckle. "Taking your anger out on our clothes isn't going to help things, Rach. You're just going to hurt yourself and maybe even ruin my favorite shirt."

"How can I ruin your favorite shirt when you didn't even bring it with you? You never pack it because you're always afraid they'll lose your luggage. So you only bring it if you wear it on the plane."

Puck smiled a little at that. No matter how much they fought, Rachel still knew those little things about him. Things like his favorite shirt and how he liked his coffee in the morning—one teaspoon of cold milk and two packets of sugar.

"I could have changed my mind and decided to pack it," he challenged, earning an eye roll from Rachel.

"Well, since I went through the suitcase already, I know you didn't bring it with you since you weren't even wearing it on the plane. So there is no possible way for me to destroy it. Besides, clothing isn't going to hurt me unless I accidentally stab my hand with one of my heels."

"Yet you already injured yourself kicking the suitcase. Face it, Rach. I'm right again. You should learn to listen to me more."

"The last thing I need to be doing is listening to you more," she muttered under her breath. Noah pretended not to hear her. "Have you found any food for us or are you just attempting to relive your previous days on the island when you pretended you were Tarzan?" she mocked.

"Hey, I kept you alive back then. A little gratitude would be nice," he said, his voice clipped. He didn't understand why she was deliberately trying to make things unpleasant. It was just the two of them here. He would have thought she'd try to be nice and bury the hatchet, but he underestimated the anger of his wife.

"Oh yes. Thank you so much for getting me off one island to just get me deserted on another one. I enjoyed our last stay so much," she said sarcastically.

"Okay, what's with you? I'm trying to be nice, but you're making it very difficult for me right now. I don't know what I did to piss you off besides save your life," he snapped, snatching a broken tree branch off the ground, adding it to the pile he'd been collecting for the past hour.

"Oh, I suppose I should be thanking you for saving me from a crash and bringing me to an island where I can slowly and painfully starve to death instead of die quickly in a crash. Thank you _so_ much for that, Noah!" she hissed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Jesus Christ, Rachel. We're not going to starve on this island. We'll find food and be fine. They'll rescue us just like last time and everything will be fine."

"Stop saying everything's going to be fine, Noah!" Rachel shouted, throwing her shoes into the sand. "This isn't _Gilligan's Island _or _Lost_! This is real life. We're going to be stuck on this miserable piece of land until we die. Which, based on the way things are going, will probably be in a few weeks."

"We were rescued last time, Rachel!" Noah yelled back, snapping the branch in his hands. "Why are you being so negative? Why can't you just have some hope that things will be okay?"

"Because that's not realistic! We weren't rescued before—we had to get off the island ourselves and find help. No one was ever going to find us there, just like no one's ever going to find us here! The sooner you admit that, the better."

"I don't see what's so wrong about having a little hope that—"

"You don't see what's wrong about having hope? You're deluding yourself into thinking that this is just like last time and things are going to work out great. We're not lucky people, Noah. We've been in two plane crashes, which is two more than most people are in. I mean, it's like we're cursed."

"We _survived_ two plane crashes, Rachel. We're luckier than most of the other people on both those planes. We weren't alone then and we're not alone now. We have each other. We'll survive."

"No. We. Won't. We're fucked, Noah. We're going to die. We're going to die here and they'll never find our bodies because they'll assume we died with everyone else on—"

Noah couldn't take it anymore. For the second time in a few hours, Noah's lips met Rachel's, though he was the one who initiated it this time. He kissed her mainly to shut her up. He was getting sick of listening to her go on and on about how they were going to die.

It did the trick. Rachel stopped talking, her eyes wide as she looked at Noah. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Granted, Rachel wasn't kissing him back, but her lips were so soft. It reminded him of when they were younger and how he used to kiss her to get her to stop talking when she was stressing about something.

Rachel seemed to be thinking over everything in her head before her eyes closed and she kissed him back. Noah closed his eyes, his hands on either side of her face as he pulled her closer to him.

Rachel seemed to be having an internal struggle with herself. Half of her wanted this. She wanted to kiss him until she couldn't kiss anymore.

But the other half wanted him off her right now. And that was the side that was stronger. Rachel pulled a hand back, slapping Noah's cheek. He pulled away, grabbing his face, stunned.

Rachel gave him a look that was half angry, half confused before turning her back to him and ran into the jungle, her shoes still lying on the beach.

Noah stared after her, still trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

**Okay, so each chapter is going to start with Rachel's dads and Puck's mom. Also sorry this is pretty short. I'll make up for it with the next chapter, though that might not be for a week. I apologize ahead of time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: This wasn't my initial idea for the cause of Jesse's divorce, but a reader suggested something else and it caused me to think of an entirely different scenario that works so much better.**

Hiram, Amy, and Judith eventually decided it was best if Leroy stayed in California with Nathan while they went on the search for Rachel and Noah.

Judy and Hiram were all for him coming along, but Amy put her foot down, refusing to drag a four-year-old on a boat trip that could potentially last months.

"Nathan needs stability," she said. "He needs to be in his own house and sleep in his own bed at night instead of being stuck on a rocking boat for months on end. Besides, I don't want to get his hopes up, just in case we're wrong and they're not out there waiting to be rescued."

Leroy offered to stay behind with Nathan. He got sea-sick easily and didn't look forward to spending three months on a boat puking. He'd keep them updated from Rachel and Noah's house instead. He clearly got the better job in Hiram's opinion.

Amy took a leave of absence from school. Both her mother and the Berry's tried to convince her she should go back, but Amy knew she'd have a mental breakdown if she did. She needed to be doing whatever she could to find her brother, and staying at school was not going to accomplish that. She'd go back and finish her degree as soon as Noah was found, but she needed a break for now.

Amy didn't bring much with her—jeans and tee shirts mainly. She was anticipating spending the next few months in dirty clothes with grimy hair, but it would be worth it if they found Rachel and Noah alive.

Two hours after making the initial call, Hiram drove Amy and her mother to the port in Los Angeles where they were meeting the boat captain. He'd suggested they wait a few days, but Judith wasn't having any of that. She wanted to start the search as soon as possible. Time was of the essence—who knew how long Noah and Rachel were going to last this time?

Amy got out of the car, staring at the boat they were going to be living on for God knew how long. It reminded her of the house boat she'd spent a summer on as a senior in high school with her boyfriend at the time. His family used to go to Lake Tahoe for the summer and live in a boat every summer, so he'd invited Amy to come with them after they'd been together for a year.

It had been the most miserable experience of her life. She'd spent the whole summer nauseous or throwing up from the rocking. The relationship ended two weeks after she'd gotten off the boat.

But she was willing to do this for her brother. Noah was everything to Amy. Amy and Noah's dad had walked out on them early on, so it had just been them and their mother. Judith could be hard to handle at times, so Noah had been everything to Amy.

And Rachel too. Rachel was the sister Amy never had. She spoke to her brother's wife every other day, making sure things were okay. Lately, however, Amy noticed Rachel's voice had changed in their conversations. She knew Rachel and Noah were having problems—they were fighting and growing apart. She hoped they'd power through it, but she had a feeling divorce was coming.

Though maybe this was what they needed. Time away from everything. Time to fall back in love.

As Amy boarded the boat, her stomach already churning, she was comforted by the fact that wherever Rachel and Noah were, they were together.

xxxxx

Puck sat on the beach for almost an hour after Rachel slapped him, his hand running over his cheek. He'd expected her to react a hundred different ways to the kiss, but her slapping him had not been one of the responses he'd expected.

It was like she'd been two different people then. First she kissed him back, then she slapped after she seemed to be enjoying it.

Puck felt like he was in shock. He'd never been slapped for giving a girl a kiss, but he supposed there was a first time for everything.

He started worrying when Rachel didn't return. He knew she needed her space, but they were on a strange island with unknown horrors awaiting them. Hell, for all he knew they could be on the island from _Lost_ with a giant monster made of black smoke waiting to kill them.

If Rachel had just walked down the beach, he wouldn't have worried. The fact that she disappeared into the jungle without any shoes caused him concern. He didn't want to go exploring the jungle when it was starting to get dark out, but he knew if he didn't Rachel would get lost trying to find her way back to their camp.

And even if she had slapped him, she was still his wife and the mother of his child.

So Noah begrudgingly got up and headed into the jungle instead of trying to make a fire or catch some fish for them to eat. He wanted to make sure Rachel was alive and safe before he did anything else. He'd never forgive himself if he left her alone in the jungle and something happened to her. Her _fathers_ would never forgive him, either.

Puck had no idea where to even start looking. This wasn't the old island. It was a completely new island. He'd be lucky if he didn't end up lost himself. He would have called out to her if he knew what was in there. The fact was he didn't, and he didn't feel comfortable announcing his position for whatever hungry animal was living in the jungle.

Instead, Puck quietly made his way through the jungle, moving as quickly as he could. The sun was beginning to set, and once he lost his light, he'd be screwed. He probably wouldn't make it through the night if he was stuck in the jungle in the dark.

Lucky for him, Rachel wasn't very far in. He found her sitting on a tree stump about a quarter mile from the beach. Her head was in her hands—she didn't even notice him. Puck couldn't tell if she was crying or merely sleeping.

"Rach," he said hesitantly, placing a cautious hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there. "We need to head back to the beach. It's getting dark and I haven't even made us a fire."

"Leave me alone, Noah," she muttered, pulling her shoulder away from his touch.

"Look, you can carry on this whole bipolar attitude and keep hating my guts when we get back to the beach, but I'm not leaving you in here alone when it's getting dark out. We don't know what's in here and I'd rather not find out at night. Besides, you have to be hungry."

That caused Rachel to look up. "Did you find food?" she asked.

Puck shook his head. "No, but I was going to catch some fish for us to eat. And as soon as we get a fire going, we can cook it so you're not eating raw fish." After they left the island the first time, Rachel had essentially stopped being a vegan. She still didn't eat all that often, but he knew she'd eat the fish if it was the only thing they had.

Puck held out a hand to Rachel. "Come on. I made a promise to you last time that I'd take care of you, and I'm promising you the same thing now. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Rachel. I'll keep you safe. You just have to trust me."

Rachel bit her lip before taking Noah's hand. He pulled her to her feet and the two of them made their way back to the beach, the sun setting by the time they made it back to the sand.

Puck turned to Rachel once they were there. "Okay, you can either make the fire or spear some fish. I don't have enough time to do both."

Rachel stared at him blankly as if he were speaking a foreign language. "What?"

"Rach, it's going to be dark soon. If you want to eat today, we need to catch some fish before we can't see. We also need to make a fire, both for us to use and to signal any planes that pass overhead." He picked up one of the broken branches from the sand, the tip now a spike. "You try and catch some fish for us," he said, making the decision for her.

"I thought you were giving me a choice," she said sarcastically, taking the spear.

"I was, but you didn't give me an answer so I chose for you. Go," he said, giving her a small shove towards the water.

Rachel shot him a glare, though she did as she was told. Luckily, she'd speared fish before when they were stranded the first time. She hadn't done it since then, but she supposed it was kind of like riding a bike.

Rachel rolled her jeans up a little before wading calf-deep into the water. She glanced around, though it was becoming hard to see without the sun shining above her.

She spotted a school of fish. They weren't very big, but they'd do for a first meal. Focusing, she concentrated on one fish before thrusting the spear into the water. She felt the small vibration that meant she'd speared the fish. Rachel pulled the branch out of the water, grinning as she saw the dead fish on the end. She wasn't one who relished in killing animals, but it meant she was eating tonight.

Rachel repeated the action a few more times before heading back onto the beach, four dead fish skewered onto the end of the spear.

She found Noah on the beach with a small fire. He was adding beach grass to it, trying to make it larger. She walked over to him, dropping the spear at his feet. "I come bearing dinner," she laughed, feeling better knowing she'd have food in her stomach shortly.

Puck grinned as he saw the dead fish on the ground. "Perfect!" he laughed. "Help me build this fire up so I can cook these fish for us to eat."

Rachel walked around the beach and at the edge of the jungle, collecting small branches they could add to the fire. After twenty minutes, the fire was relatively large—large enough for them to cook the food and keep warm, at least.

Puck dragged a few large rocks out of the jungle and set them around the fire as seats. He'd find better seating tomorrow, but this would have to do for now, even if they were uncomfortable to sit on.

Rachel took a seat on one of the rocks as Puck cooked the fish, doing his best not to burn them. Even when he had spices and an actual over, Puck wasn't the greatest cook. He just hoped the fish wasn't so bad it made Rachel throw up.

He put two of the fish on a thin, flat rock, handing them to Rachel. She stared down at the fish, a funny look on her face. They didn't look very appetizing, but food was food and she was hungry.

Without a moment of hesitation, Rachel picked one of the fish up with her bare hands and bit into it. She wanted to throw it right up—they fish tasted terrible. But her stomach was growling so she swallowed it before taking another bite.

Puck watched her with a newfound appreciation for her. Rachel was always so proper at home and complained about everything. Yet here she was eating horribly cooked fish with her hands like it was no big deal.

Puck bit into his own fish, forcing himself to eat all the food on his plate—he didn't want any leftovers to attract hungry animals.

"Tomorrow I can explore the jungle and go hunting. Maybe there's some actual meat on this island. I'll look for some fruit too," he added.

"I'll come," Rachel said.

Puck shook his head. "No, I want you to stay on the beach."

Rachel let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes sir. Whatever you say."

Puck set the empty rock on the ground, turning his attention to Rachel. "Go ahead and say it. I know you're not going to be happy until you get whatever's bothering you off your chest."

"No, now's not the right time."

"Now's the perfect time, Rachel. We're stuck on an island with nothing but time. Go on. I know you want to."

Rachel set her rock on the ground, turning so she was facing Noah. "You're always telling me what to do. You act like you're giving me a choice but really you're making the decision for me. And I don't just mean from the crash. I mean all the time. And whenever I don't do what you tell me to, you make me feel guilty for doing what I want. Like when I went to the premiere for Kurt's movie instead of staying home because your mother was there that weekend."

"Yeah well—"

Rachel held up a hand, cutting him off. "Stop, please. It's my turn to talk right now. You can say whatever you want when I'm finished." Puck fell silent, watching her as she spoke, clearly unable to stop now that she'd started.

"And you never trust me anymore. You always think I'm cheating on you when I've never even looked at another man since I've been with you. You treat me like the devil anytime I choose to do something for my career instead of staying home and watching television with you. Things never used to be like this, Noah. They've gotten so bad. I feel like when you're not interrogating me about where I've been, you're smothering me or trying to tell me what to do. And then you assume all these things about me and act so disappointed when I let you down."

"You done?" he asked.

Rachel nodded her head, catching her breath.

"Rachel, why didn't you tell me this before? You know, when you started feeling like this, why didn't you tell me instead of suffering in silence?"

"Would it have mattered? You don't listen to anyone. You always think you're right. And when you're wrong, you're still right. Anything I would have said you'd have interpreted as me being hormonal or overreacting. It wouldn't have helped."

"Well, it's not all my fault," he said defensively. "You can be difficult to live with."

Rachel let out a huff. "See, there you go again. You never listen o anything I say! I never said you were totally at fault. It's my fault too we're like this, but you have to accept some of the fault instead of putting all the blame on me."

Puck seemed to think about it for a minute. "You know what. We need to get this all out there. I want you to tell me everything you don't like about me."

"Right now?" Rachel asked.

Puck nodded his head. "Yes, right now. Then I'll tell you everything I don't like about you."

Rachel's jaw twitched for a moment before she nodded her head. "Alright. You're stubborn, you always think you're right, you never listen, you're bossy and controlling at times, you think everyone should do what you want, you make unrealistic assumptions about people so you're constantly being let down by them."

"Fair enough," he said. "You're a spoiled diva, you don't like doing what other people tell you to do even if it's the right thing to do, you're stubborn and refuse to change for anyone, you're selfish, you're a brat, you always put yourself above everyone else, you're a snob, and you always put your family last on your list of priorities."

"That it?" Rachel asked, her voice a bit short.

"One more. I hate how you're always jumping through hoops to do whatever Jesse St. James asks you to do, but you act like it's torture when I ask you to do one simple thing."

"That's not true," Rachel said defensively. "And I hate how you're always assuming I'm having an affair with Jesse."

"You don't act like you're not. You're always spending time with him and then when Dianna left him and people said he was having an affair with a close friend of his…"

"So you assume it's me! God Noah, it's like you don't trust me."

"I do trust you, Rachel. It's him I don't trust."

"Then you don't trust me to not give in to him if he ever made a move. Which he _hasn't_."

"Then who was he sleeping with if it wasn't you? I know you know, Rachel."

"I can't tell you," she mumbled. "I promised."

Noah let out an exasperated sigh. "Rachel, how are we supposed to fix this if you're not going to be honest with me? If you're not telling me what really happened with Dianna and Jesse, then I can only assume it's because you broke up their marriage."

"The fact that you could even think I was capable of that means you really don't know me anymore," Rachel said coldly, standing up and heading for the small shelter Puck had built.

He jumped to his feet, grabbing her arm to prevent her from walking away. "Rachel, please. I don't want to think that about you, but you keep acting like it's true. What am I supposed to think?"

"You're supposed to trust your wife. You're supposed to believe that I would never break our vows. I haven't done anything to make you doubt that, Noah. You just think that because I have a close male friend that I'm inevitably going to fall into bed with him because you can't be around a woman without thinking about sex. Not all people are like that."

"I do not fall into bed with every woman I meet," Noah muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Please, Rachel. I need to know."

Rachel shook her head. "I can't. I can't betray his trust. If anyone found out, it would destroy him."

"Who's going to find out? It's me and you stuck on this island for who knows how long. Marriage is about honesty, Rachel. If you can't be honest about something like this, then maybe we never were really meant to be."

Rachel looked up at Noah before closing her eyes. "Dianna caught him in bed with someone else. He'd been having an affair for over a year. I knew about it from the beginning."

"How?" Puck asked.

"Because I was there the night they got together."

"Who is it, Rachel? What was Jesse sleeping with?"

"Kurt."

Noah's eyes went wide as he tried to register what Rachel was telling him. Jesse was…gay?

"He's been confused for a long time. He never thought he was gay, he just thought he wasn't interested in girls yet." She gestured for him to follow her back to the fire, taking a seat on a rock, Noah sitting beside her. "When we dated in high school, he was trying to figure himself out. His marriage to Dianna was a sham. He used to have to get drunk before they had sex just so he could rise to the occasion. When you and Nathan were in Lima for your mother's birthday, Kurt and Jesse were over our house. Kurt had just gotten his Emmy nomination, so we were celebrating. I guess all those years of sexual tension finally exploded or something because Jesse and Kurt hooked up that night. Jesse swore it was going to be a one-night thing, but he told me two months later they were seeing each other. I told him he should tell Dianna, but he was too worried about what people would say when they found out he was gay. I promised him I wouldn't say anything, and I didn't until now."

Puck stayed silent as Rachel finished her story, his hand resting on her knee the whole time. Rachel didn't even realize it was there until she'd finished talking. Though she didn't pull her leg away. She let Puck keep his hand there.

"Please say something," Rachel whispered, leaning a little closer to Puck.

"Wow," he finally said. "Can't say that I was expecting that. So she caught them in bed together?"

Rachel nodded her head. "Kicked him out that day. Though when she found out I knew all along, she leaked the story about him banging a friend to the press, assuming people would think he was screwing me. I think she was trying to ruin my marriage since I'd helped ruin hers. Basically, she's just a bitch. Though you thinking I was sleeping with Jesse hasn't been the only problem with us. I guess it was just another thing to be added to the list."

Puck placed a hand on the back of his neck, letting out a sigh. "Look, Rach, about what I said before we left…"

She placed a finger on his lips. "You'll get your divorce. Just because I told you the truth doesn't mean I'm going to keep you imprisoned in a marriage you so desperately want out of. I may be selfish, but I'm not that selfish."

Noah shook his head. "That's not what I was going to say, Rachel. I know I told you I was miserable and wanted a divorce before we left, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe it's this island or the fact that you're the only other person here besides me. Or maybe it's because I really do love you more than life itself. But I don't know if I want a divorce anymore."

"Then what do you want, Noah?"

"Hell if I know, Rachel. All I know is I'm confused. I mean, you kissed me earlier after going on and on about our first kiss and then flipped a shit and stormed off when I didn't kiss you back. Then, when I kiss you, you slap me. You're giving me mixed signals which isn't helping me."

Rachel's cheeks turned pink. "Yeah, sorry about that. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, and the side that wants to hate you won that battle, this the slap. I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"

Puck let out a chuckle. "You barely weight 100 pounds. It would take a lot more than a simple slap for you to hurt me," he teased.

Rachel made a face at him before giving him a nod, indicating for him to continue.

"I want to figure us out, Rachel. I don't want to give up on us, but I want to be happy. And I haven't been happy for the past two years, really."

"What do you propose we do, then?"

"Well, we're going to be here for God knows how long. Maybe we use that time to get to know each other again. I mean, when we fell in love, we were kids. We were stuck on an island with only each other for company."

"Much like we are now," she added.

"Right. But we were young then. We're older now. I want to get to know you again, to remember the woman I fell in love with back then. I know she's in there somewhere. And maybe if I can find her again I can remember why I chose to spend the rest of my life with you."

Rachel gave Noah a small smile. "And maybe I can remember why I thought the boy with the Mohawk was the greatest thing since sliced bread," she teased, standing up. "So what, does that mean we're going to be in that awkward dating stage like we were the first time?"

Puck laughed and shook his head. "No. Back then I was trying to get into your pants. I've been there and done that, Rach. I guess I'm going to try and woo you. Make you fall in love with me like I did before. So get ready, Berry. I'm going to make you go weak in the knees."

Rachel let out a laugh. "Bring it, Puckerman." Rachel headed into the small shelter, leaving Noah alone on the beach to tend the fire. He wanted to be alone now, anyways. He had to plan.

Rachel deserved epic romance. And that was exactly what he was going to bring to the table.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love all my readers so much. Keep reading guys. I know I've been getting chapters out pretty fast, but it's probably going to slow down soon—silly school getting in the way **** I will still update—hopefully around once a week, depending on how crazy the week is.**

"No! Rach!" Amy called out, walking down the beach of the sixth small island they'd searched. Amy, her mother, and Hiram Berry had been on their search for three weeks now with nothing to show for it. They'd found no trace of Noah or Rachel at any of the islands they'd searched, frustrating the small search party.

They'd been on their current island for three days now, searching each part. Amy felt it was a waste of time—there was no sign anyone had ever set foot on this spit of land. She knew her brother—he'd be on the beach waiting for rescue, not hiding in a cave somewhere.

But her mother wanted a thorough search. So they stayed on each island for a few days, making sure they'd searched every nook and cranny to ensure Noah and Rachel weren't hiding from them.

Amy understood why her mother was being neurotic about the search, but it was getting on her nerves. Maybe it was due to the frustration of not finding anything or the fact that she hadn't gotten a good night of sleep in almost a month.

"I'll kill you both if you're here and hiding," she muttered under her breath, kicking a seashell out of her path. Just like the last five islands, Amy knew her brother wasn't there from the moment she stepped off the boat. She could sense it. Noah was her only sibling, and even though they hardly saw each other anymore, she still had an intuition about him.

The night he and Rachel first started having trouble, she knew something was wrong and called him up, listening for two hours as he broke down and explained everything that was going wrong in his marriage. And of course, being the supportive sister, Amy took his side. It wasn't just about being loyal to her brother—Amy truly felt Rachel was in the wrong here. After all, who put their career above their own family?

Not Noah. And not Amy either. She'd given up her whole life for her brother. She was positive she'd lost her place at school—it wasn't like they were just going to let her pick up where she left off when she got back home. She left the country without even notifying the school.

She'd left her boyfriend, too. Amy had been seeing one of classmates for six months and two weeks when Noah and Rachel's plane went missing. He understood she had to fly out and help her mother, but he couldn't understand why she was abandoning her future for what he saw as a pointless search.

Needless to say, she'd ended things with him as soon as he called the search for her only brother a waste of time. She was better off without him in her opinion. There were plenty of fish in the sea.

Amy followed her mother, who had given up on this island finally. She was gesturing for Amy and Hiram to follow her back to the boat. Amy's stomach did a somersault at the sight of the boat. She'd been throwing up every day since stepping foot on the vessel, and she was not anticipating another day long voyage until they reached the next small island.

"Come, Amy" her mother ordered. "We need to get a move on if we want to reach the next island before nightfall."

Amy sighed, looking at her mother. "Mom, why are we doing this? It's taking so much time, and we have nothing to show for it. I don't mean searching," she said quickly, noticing her mother's face. "I mean going around in a slow, tiny boat that makes everyone seasick. We're all tired, sleep deprived, and in a constant state of nausea. We need a new approach."

"I have to agree with your daughter, Judy," Hiram added, coming to Amy's side. "The thought of going back on that boat for another full day makes me want to vomit."

"Well, what would you two suggest we do?" she asked with a huff. "It's not as if we can teleport to each and every island."

"What about a plane?" Amy suggested. "Like, one of those small planes that can take us low so we can see the island. I'm sure Noah and Rachel have set up something that we'll be able to see that people are there. We'll go and investigate every place that looks promising."

Judith seemed to consider the idea. She didn't exactly enjoy living on a boat, but she'd do anything for her children. "Next time we head back for gas, we'll call a small plane company and see if someone can help us with that. If not, we stick with the boat."

Amy nodded energetically. "Yes, that's all I ask Mom. If it's too much, I promise not to bring it up again."

Judy smiled at Amy. "Well, we're wasting time. Come on, dear. We need to get a move on before we get stuck in the middle of the ocean in the dead of night."

xxxxx

Rachel woke up the morning of their third week there, feeling entirely frustrated. When Noah had said he was going to make her fall in love with him again, she thought he'd start the next day.

So far, he hadn't made a single move on her. No kisses, no hugs—hell, he never even tried to hold her hand. He had essentially friend-zoned her, and Rachel did not like that one bit.

Rachel liked the chase. She liked when guys worked hard to get her attention, and the fact that Noah wasn't trying at all was worrying her.

Had he changed his mind about them? Did he want a divorce again instead of getting back with her? No, she didn't think so. As much as he didn't try to mend their relationship, he also wasn't hostile or cruel. Noah took care of her—he caught food in the morning and kept the fire alive for most of the night so Rachel could get a good night's sleep, sacrificing his own sleep for her.

It touched her that he'd do all that for her, but that was all he'd do. He was trying to keep her alive and healthy, not anything else.

Rachel didn't know what to do. She wanted Noah to chase her, to charm her and make her love him again. If he was attempting to do that, he wasn't trying very hard.

When Rachel woke up that morning, she realized she was sick of waiting. She was done waiting for Noah to make the first move. If he wasn't going to try, then she was. She was going to make Noah Puckerman fall back in love with her.

Rachel wasn't used to making the first move. The last time they were on the island, Noah had made all the moves. He confessed he was in love with her first. He kissed her first. He created their romantic dates and even asked her to be his 'island' girlfriend.

Maybe it was her turn.

Rachel walked out of the small hut, finding Noah asleep beside the fire. It was still going strong. She smiled, walking next to him. She was about to wake him, but she decided against it. He was so tired from staying up every night, he deserved a few hours of peace.

Instead, Rachel took one of the canteens they had made out of a coconut shell and headed into the jungle towards the lake. In the three weeks they'd been here, Noah and Rachel had both made improvements to their living arrangements.

They still stayed in the small hut Noah had built their first day here, though Rachel had added some decorations so it looked a little homier.

Noah had attached a few sharp rocks to the tops of branches, turning them into spears which he used to hunt. They'd discovered a relatively large population of wild boar on the island, which quickly became their dinner of choice.

Rachel had woven together palm leaves and long grass to make a large net which they used to fish. From her suitcase, they salvaged shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes, leaving them feeling clean on a daily basis.

They made a small basket out of sticks and leaves where they kept the bathroom supplies. They kept it at the lake so they weren't forced to tote it back and forth each time they wanted a shower. Although they had no towels, they had all the clothes Rachel and Noah had packed. Using the sharp edge of a rock, Noah had cut open some shirts, giving them something they could use to dry themselves off. It was better than nothing.

Rachel had seen a change in herself during the short time she'd been here. After spending years in California in the public eye, she'd become a very superficial person. She didn't try to be that way, it's just how she'd become. At first, she wasn't like that, but when tabloids and blogs began criticizing her for her style, she changed. She wore clothes that were more expensive than a flight to Florida and never left the house without consulting her stylist.

She knew that was all part of what led to her and Noah's relationship crumbling, but it was part of the price of being famous.

Here, there was no one to care about what she wore. Still, the materialistic part of Rachel was still present in the beginning. She'd broken down into tears when Noah cut her favorite pair of jeans to turn them into shorts so she didn't overheat. All of the expensive clothes she'd brought with her were now cut up, torn, dirty, or all three. And strangely, Rachel didn't care.

Rachel made her way down the path Noah had cleared that led to the lake. There had been tree branches, leaves, rocks, and other obstacles that littered the way, but Noah had spent one day clearing it so they could walk to and from the lake easier. Now, Rachel didn't need him with her if she wanted to bathe. Noah still insisted on coming with her, but sometimes Rachel needed the alone time. So she took advantage of the times he was sleeping and used it to swim in the lake.

Rachel dropped the canteen on the mat she'd woven from palm leaves. There was a change of clothes there along with all their shampoo and soap, as well as the makeshift towels they'd created.

Rachel stripped off her clothing until she was entirely nude, jumping into the water. She had no reason to be modest here—the only person who'd see her was Noah, and he'd already seen everything before.

Rachel kicked to the surface, spitting out some of the water. The lake was shaded by the tall trees of the jungle, making the water cool, even in the middle of the day.

Rachel swam over to the edge once she'd done a few laps of the lake, grabbing the shampoo and soap, cleaning herself off. She and Noah promised to use the supplies sparingly—they only had so much and had no idea how long they were going to be here. At first, they thought they'd be rescued right away, but now they'd given up hope. Rachel and Noah only used the shampoo and soap every three days, hoping that would make it last longer.

Rachel swam every day and tried to clean herself off with just the water, but it didn't compare to actually using soap to get the dirt out of her hair and skin.

Once she'd cleaned herself off, Rachel climbed out of the water and stepped onto the mat, being careful not to get her clean feet dirty. She used a cut up shirt of Noah's to dry herself off, feeling very refreshed.

Rachel pulled on a tank top with several holes in it and the cut off shorts that Noah had made out of her favorite pair of jeans. She picked up her brush, combing her hair and getting all the knots out.

At home, Rachel would normally dry and straighten her hair before applying makeup after a shower. Here, she didn't have that option. She had makeup in her suitcase, but she didn't see the point of putting it on.

Pulling her sneakers on, Rachel decided to venture around and explore for a while instead of heading back to their camp on the beach. Noah was asleep, so either place she'd be alone.

Rachel slid the dagger Noah had made for her into her pocket. She didn't feel comfortable carrying it, but he wanted her to have something to protect herself with, just in case she encountered a particularly aggressive boar.

Rachel made her way out of the jungle, turning left to walk along the beach towards the other side of the island instead of heading back to their camp. Despite the time they'd spent here, Noah and Rachel hadn't done much exploring. They mainly stayed at their camp or went to the lake. Noah would walk around the jungle when he was hunting for food, but they didn't explore the beaches. They were worried about survival, not seeing what the island had to offer.

Today, however, Rachel was interested to see what else the island had to offer.

Twenty minutes of walking and Rachel had seen much of the same of what she saw at their camp. A lot of sand with an ocean view on one side and trees on the other. There was nothing special about this beach. It wasn't an extraordinarily beautiful beach.

Rachel decided to keep walking and see what else she could find, hoping she'd find some kind of supplies. She didn't find anything that would help them live on the island, but she found something else instead.

Forty minutes from their camp, there was a small section of the beach the stood out from the rest. The jungle was on the one side of the sand just like the rest of the beach, but instead of just leaves, there were hundreds of flowers peeking out of the trees.

They weren't like any flower Rachel had ever seen, and Rachel had seen many different types of flowers in her life. People were always sending her bouquets on the set—various arrangements of roses, daisies, and other types of flowers.

These looked more like an orchid. The flowers were pink, white, purple, and yellow. They were attached to the trees which were hanging over a small area of the beach. Rachel imagined that at night, it was even more beautiful.

The water washed up onto the beach, bringing hundreds of shells with it. The whole area was filled with seashells, starfish, and sand dollars. Rachel smiled, walking around the small, beautiful area of the beach. In her mind, it was very romantic. And the perfect place.

xxxxx

When Noah woke up, it was after noon. The sun was high above his head, shining down on him. He was seated outside his and Rachel's hut, the fire starting to die a little.

Noah quickly added some more wood, nudging the logs with a branch, causing the fire to grow larger, which was his intention.

He glanced around, not seeing Rachel on the beach. Normally, Rachel was sitting on the beach with food for him when he woke up from a small nap. He couldn't even remember falling asleep. He'd been up late tending to the fire like normal. Rachel had been inside the hut, fast asleep. She kept the entrance to the hut open normally so if something happened, Noah could get to her easily. He'd watched her sleep for a few hours, trying to figure out the best way to go about things.

Noah imagined Rachel was getting frustrated. He'd told her he was going to romance her, but then didn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was that he had no idea how to. The last time he'd tried to get a woman to fall in love with him, he'd been a junior in high school and had ended up marrying the girl. Now that they weren't head over heels in love with each other anymore, he had no idea how to bring the spark back into their relationship. He'd been so charming when they were younger. He had no idea how to be that way again.

He'd thought about bringing her flowers, but he hadn't seen any on the island. He thought about bringing her breakfast in bed, but he normally fell asleep before she woke up, so she was always the one bringing the food to him instead of the other way around.

He'd run out of ideas. Noah wasn't a very imaginative guy, and having to come up with a way to get the only person he'd ever really loved back was too much for him. He didn't want to lose Rachel, but he couldn't think of a way to keep her.

As Noah got up, he didn't hear anything. He peeked into the hut and saw it was empty. He figured Rachel was at the lake, so he headed into the jungle, taking the path towards the lake.

The water was empty. Rachel's dirty clothes were sitting on the edge of the water for her to wash later, but she wasn't there. He was about to turn back and see if she was around the camp again when he spotted a large leaf sitting on the mat. By the way it was placed, it looked like it had been set there instead of having fallen there accidentally.

Curious, Noah picked it up, turning it over in his hand. On the opposite side, he recognized Rachel's handwriting. It seemed she had used her lipstick to scrawl a message for him.

_Noah,  
Went exploring and discovered some pretty cool things. Going to keep searching the island and see what else I find. I'd love it if you join me on the west end of the beach at sunset later tonight.  
-Rachel_

Rachel had drawn a small map pointing to where she wanted him to meet here later. The end point had a star on it. Even though it was all in red, Noah imagined Rachel intended the star to be gold. He smiled a little at the note, setting it on the ground as he started to disrobe.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about Rachel exploring the island on her own, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. She was already gone, probably at least a mile away from where he was right now. He'd spend his whole day looking for her and end up lost instead of actually finding her.

Anyways, it gave him a few moments to himself, something that seemed so rare on the island. Noah dove into the water, the cool water surrounding his aching body. It seemed everyday he was hunting or cutting wood or lugging something from the jungle to the beach for them to use. He never got to rest and do nothing. Hell, he hardly got to enjoy the water when he was in the lake. Normally, he dove in for five minutes before getting back to work.

Noah grabbed the shampoo, grateful that it was bathing day. He hated smelling like a hobo, but it was the best they could do with what they had. They had one bottle of shampoo and one bar of soap. It wasn't as if that was going to last forever.

Noah spent longer than normal in the water. He didn't want to get out, but decided it was probably a good idea when his fingertips started to resemble raisins. Noah climbed out, drying off with the cut up fabric that came from one of Rachel's dresses. She'd almost killed him when he put a slit up the side, but she didn't need it here. Might as well get some use out of it.

Noah headed back to camp, feeling clean and refreshed. He still hadn't seen Rachel, but he figured she was going to be missing until he went and found her later.

Noah grabbed a piece of the boar he'd killed two days ago and put it on a slab of rock over the fire, cooking it for him to eat. He and Rachel kept the boar meet in a hole at the edge of the jungle. They wanted to keep it covered so as not to attract any animals, as well as keeping it from going bad as long as possible.

Noah spent the day on the beach, generally relaxing. He took another nap, catching up on allt he sleep he'd missed over the past few weeks. He was averaging probably around four hours each day, but it was worth it if Rachel was safe and well. So far, she was, so that was all that mattered to him.

When the sun started going down a little, Noah grabbed a canteen filled with water and pulled his shoes on, following the map Rachel left him. He walked along the edge of the beach down towards the water where the sand was harder and easier to walk on.

After walking for half an hour, the sun was starting to set and he still hadn't found Rachel. He knew she'd be pissed if he didn't show up, but he had no idea where this place she found was. If it was in the jungle, he was out of luck—there was no way he was going exploring in the jungle when the sun wasn't out. He knew what was in there, but he still didn't trust the boars not to attack him. He'd killed plenty of them, so it wouldn't surprise him if they retaliated when his guard was down.

Noah was about to turn back when he saw a small yellow glow up ahead. Curious, he headed in the direction of the light.

He stopped when he saw the sight before his eyes. It was a small beach with a canopy of trees filled with flowers above it. Someone had set a small fire off to the side.

On the sand, there was a giant circle made from shells. In the center, there was a makeshift table with two stumps for chairs. On the table, there was a meal of fish and fruit. Leading up to the table, there was a trail of flowers. There were a few handmade torches stuck in the sand, giving more light to the area.

The entire scene screamed Rachel. Only she would put this much time into something as simple as a dinner.

Noah was too busy admiring the scene that he didn't realize Rachel had appeared at his side until she spoke. "What do you think?" she asked.

Noah turned to her, speechless for once in his life. He simply shook his head in amazement, unable to find the words to convey what he was feeling. "What is this?" he finally croaked out.

"I found it. It's just a little beach. I set everything up. That's what I was doing all day," she explained. "I caught the fish and prepared them. I picked the fruit, washed them, and cut them up. I did everything, Noah."

"But why?" he asked, reaching down to pick up one of the flowers. "Why would you go to all this trouble? You must have been working on this all day without rest. Why would you put yourself through that?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "I guess people do crazy things for someone they care about."

Noah took his time to really get a look at Rachel. She was just in a tank top and cut off shorts, but she looked different. Her hair was flowing down her back and she'd found a way to weave a few flowers into her dark locks. He was also pretty sure she was wearing makeup. Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. It was a pleasant surprise as he'd gotten used to seeing her without it for the past few weeks.

Rachel took his silence as invitation to speak. "I'm getting sick of waiting around for you, Noah. I like the chase, but you have to give a girl something to work with. This whole not making a move is driving me insane. So if you're not going to get the ball rolling, I will."

"So, you're asking me out, then?" he laughed.

"I already did, and you accepted by showing up tonight," she said, looking up at him.

Noah was shocked. This was so unlike Rachel yet so her at the same time. She went after what she wanted, but she was also not the person to make the first move. With a smile, he put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, Miss Berry, let's have our first date."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry, but there isn't going to be any Puckleberry in this chapter. It's also a short chapter. I promise to make up for it with the next one, but this is just a filler chapter about Jesse and Kurt. Rachel and Puck's date will be next chapter.**

The moment Jesse St. James found out Rachel was missing, his world ended. He'd been in his temporary apartment sharing a meal with Kurt. Dianna had taken the house in the divorce. He'd given her anything she wanted in exchange for her keeping quiet about what led up to the end of their marriage. He even had her sign a non-disclosure agreement, making sure she wouldn't tell everyone in the country that Jesse St. James was gay.

Jesse wasn't ashamed of his sexuality. Well, not anymore, at least.

In high school, Jesse wanted to be straight more than anything. It was one of the reasons he'd asked Rachel out in the first place. He thought if he dated a girl, he could force himself into liking them. When he'd tried to get Rachel to sleep with him, he was actually kind of relieved when she turned him down. He wasn't sure if he'd have been able to actually perform if she agreed.

It wasn't that Jesse didn't love Rachel or wasn't even attracted to her; he just wasn't all that interested in the physical part of the relationship. Jesse enjoyed Rachel's company and loved talking to her for hours, but he didn't feel anything when they kissed.

But when he saw Kurt in glee club, he couldn't help the way his stomach did a somersault or how his palms started to sweat. Jesse knew Kurt was everything he wanted to be and everything he wanted in general. He also knew he was the one thing he'd never have.

Kurt was open and proud about who he was while Jesse was dating girls to make both himself and everyone else think he was straight.

Jesse started thinking about Kurt every time he made out with Rachel, pretending she was him instead. It made kissing her more enjoyable, but as soon as he accidentally grazed her breast or got a whiff of her hair, the illusion would shatter and he'd pull away, disappointed she wasn't him.

Jesse honestly felt bad about smashing the egg on Rachel's head. He did care for her, but it also was the best way to end what they had. If they'd broken up and stayed friends, she'd be trying to get back together with him all the time. He didn't want that, so it was better if she thought he was a jerk.

Trying to get back together with her the next year had been another effort to make himself straight, but she shot him down. He remembered seeing Kurt at the dance and felt his blood boil when he saw him there with his boyfriend. Jesse had no right to be jealous, but he was.

Of course, it didn't matter in the end. Kurt was with him now and Jesse had never been happier in his entire life.

Kurt had essentially moved in to Jesse's apartment. Jesse was looking for a new house to buy, but he hadn't found anything he _loved_ yet. He was trying to find the best way to ask Kurt to move in with him, but he was struggling to convince himself that was what he wanted. Asking him to move in with him would be admitting he was gay.

That's what he was thinking about when Rachel's plane went missing. He'd offered to come with Rachel to the island instead of bringing Puck—he knew they were having problems—but she refused. He hadn't really wanted to go, but he also didn't want Rachel to have to endure a weekend of silence with her distant husband.

Jesse couldn't help but feel he was partially responsible for their problems. Dianna had spread rumors that Rachel was sleeping with Jesse after she found out Rachel had known about the affair with Kurt from the beginning. Jesse said he would come clean to Puck and tell him everything, but Rachel said she'd figure it out. Jesse didn't understand why she was so stubborn—she was sacrificing her own marriage to keep his secret, which made him feel more than awful.

When they first said the plane was missing, Jesse figures they were off course. The plane would be found in a few hours and everything would be okay.

It wasn't. The wreckage was found the next day right where they lost the signal from the plane. Half the plane was missing with the theory that it had broken off in midair and blown up. They showed footage of bodies still in their seats. Jesse had to turn away, unable to watch them go through the final resting place of his oldest friend.

The irony didn't escape him. Rachel had survived one plane crash only to perish in another. He and Kurt were unable to console each other in the days following the discovery of the wreckage, unable to grasp the fact that they'd never see their two closest friends again.

Jesse had tried to call Rachel's house to offer his condolences to her fathers, but no one ever picked up. He left countless messages and got no answer. Finally, he went over there, but no one came to the door. He had no idea where the Berrys were, but it was obvious they weren't staying at Rachel and Puck's house. Maybe they'd taken Nathan back to Ohio to avoid the press that was surrounding Rachel and Puck's deaths.

Rachel was gone, and Jesse didn't know how to deal with it. Kurt stopped coming by soon after—part of it was because he couldn't deal with Jesse moping about all day, and part was because he was pissed at Jesse for hiding their relationship like he was ashamed of it. Initially, Kurt understood why Jesse didn't come clean to everyone about them. He'd just gotten divorced from a woman. Plus, it wasn't as if Kurt wanted to be painted as a home wrecker.

But it had been almost two years since Dianna had found them in Jesse's bed together. They'd been together for almost three. He didn't understand why Jesse was so reluctant to come out and admit he loved Kurt. Kurt knew it was hard to come out, but he was sick of feeling like someone's dirty little secret. He and Jesse never went on dates. They never did anything besides stay at Jesse's house or Kurt's apartment. The only time they ever went out in public together was if they were with Rachel. Never alone.

Jesse was miserable without Kurt. He didn't like saying it aloud, but he loved him. He was in love with Kurt Hummel. He didn't know why it was so hard for him to admit that. Before she disappeared, Rachel had been bugging Jesse to come out. Not to everyone, but at least to their friends and his family. She'd told him that three days before the crash, and Jesse couldn't stop thinking over it in his head. He'd gotten so mad at her when she told him, he'd yelled at her and kicked her out of his place.

He felt bad now, of course. The last exchange with his best friend had been a huge fight, and now she was dead. All she'd been trying to do was help him, make his life happier. Rachel could see Jesse was miserable. His agent kept getting on his case about finding a new girlfriend—she kept setting him up on dates with models. None of them went past one date.

Jesse was sick of pretending, but he wasn't ready to admit to the world that he was gay. Not yet, at least.

Friends, though. He supposed that much he could do.

Jesse called Kurt up two weeks after Rachel's plane crashed, the invitation to his uncle's wedding in his hand. The wedding was three weeks from now back in Lima, and Jesse had said he was bringing a date. Originally, he was going to find some model to go with, but with everything that had happened, he wanted to go with the one person he loved.

"Jesse," Kurt replied, his voice a bit short. He was still mad, of course. He'd been getting on Jesse's case about coming out a lot more recently. "What do you want?"

"What are you doing Saturday three weeks from now?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"I don't believe I have any plans," Kurt said with a sigh. Most Saturdays he rehearsed with the cast of his show, but they were on break now, so he'd been free the past two weekends. "Why do you ask?"

"My uncle's getting married—I think I told you that when I got the invitation. I responded and said I'd bring a date, and—"

"And you want to know if I'm okay with you bringing one of the models the tabloids say you're banging to keep up the appearance you're straight," Kurt snapped. "Honestly Jesse, I don't give a fuck what you do anymore. Get drunk and sleep with all the Victoria's Secret models so they go around telling people there's no way you're gay!"

"Kurt, shut up! Would you let me ask the damn question before you get on my case? I was going to ask if you'd be my date."

"You want me to come to a wedding with you as your date?" he asked skeptically.

"Well, yeah. You are my boyfriend. Why else would I bring?"

"And you don't care that people are going to talk and print your picture in the magazine and call you queer?"

"It's just a wedding, Kurt. It's not like I'm coming out to the Westboro Baptist church," he said, chuckling under his breath. "Besides, it's just going to be family there. I'm not saying I'm ready to come out to everyone, but I think the people who I care about most should know if they don't know already. I want you to come with me, Kurt. I don't want to lose you."

Kurt smiled into the phone. "Well, alright then. I'll come, but only if I get to pick out what you wear. Anytime you try and pick out a suit for a wedding, you look as though you got dressed in the dark."

Jesse shook his head even though Kurt couldn't see. He knew if Rachel was here right now, she'd be proud. Take it one step at a time—that's what she used to tell him. It was too bad it took her dying for him to really listen to her.


	7. Chapter 7

Leroy took Nathan back to Ohio with him two days after Judith, Hiram, and Amy left for their search. In California, reporters and photographers were camped outside Rachel and Noah's house, determined to speak to Leroy and his grandson.

Nathan didn't need to be around that. He was just a kid, and he still didn't know what had happened to his parents yet. Leroy wanted to tell him, but he didn't know how. What was the best way to tell a four-year-old that both his parents were probably dead?

Instead, Leroy would change the subject or just flat out lie every time his grandson brought up his parents.

Leroy had put Nathan in Rachel's old room. The kid seemed to like it in there. It was decorated for a girl, but it reminded him of his mother. Nathan even sometimes felt as though his mother was there with him.

He missed her a lot. His dad too, but he really missed his mom. She would always tuck him in at night and give him a kiss on the forehead. Grandpa tried to do it, but it wasn't the same as when Rachel did it.

Nathan may have been only four, but he knew something had happened to his parents. His grandfather had told him that his parents were just having so much fun and that's why they weren't back yet, but Nathan knew they would never do that to him. If anything, they'd come home then go back and bring him with them. They'd never gone away this long before.

All he wanted was his parents to come back. He didn't like them being away. He loved his grandfather, but it wasn't the same as having his parents there. He missed the way his dad would throw him over his shoulder and carry him upstairs, or the way his mother would kiss his forehead before he went to bed.

Nathan climbed out of his bed, walking down the hall of his grandfather's house. He grabbed the railing as he headed down the stairs, searching for his grandfather. He found him sitting in the kitchen, a phone pressed to his ear. Nathan hung back, listening to what Leroy was saying.

"No sign of them?" he asked, nodding his head at something that was said on the other end of the phone. "Hiram, this is no use. You three should cut your losses and come home. I don't think this is like last time. I think they may really be gone," he said quietly. He let out a sigh. "I know what Judy thinks, but we have to be realistic. Just because they survived a plane crash before doesn't mean they can survive one again."

Leroy murmured his goodbyes before clicking the phone off, setting it on the table in front of him. He looked up as he heard rustling. Nathan walked into the kitchen, his teddy bear in his arms.

"Hey, buddy," Leroy said, walking over to his grandson. He picked him up, kissing the top of his head. "I thought you were still asleep."

"I miss Mommy," Nathan said, resting his head on Leroy's shoulder. "I miss her and Daddy. Are they coming home soon?"

Leroy knew he needed to tell his grandson the truth, but he also knew he had to pick the right moment. Right now wasn't it.

"Yeah," he lied. "They'll be home soon."

xxxxx

An hour into their 'date' and things were going horribly. Rachel had thought her big romantic gesture would turn out wonderfully, but she kept getting strike after strike.

It started with the food. She'd prepared the best she could find for her and Noah to eat. After he'd arrived and found what she'd done, the two of them spent some time talking. Eventually, their stomachs demanded attention, so Rachel led Noah over to the makeshift table.

Rachel still had a huge smile on her face when she sat down, though it disappeared the instant she saw the food. The meal, which had looked marvelous an hour ago, was covered in flies. Apparently, you couldn't leave cooked fish outside uncovered for that long.

The fruit was covered in bugs as well, meaning there was nothing for them to eat. Rachel was humiliated.

"Noah, I'm so sorry," she apologized, dumping the useless food into the water. She didn't know what to do. She'd made the meal especially for them to share, and now it was ruined.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Rach," Noah said as he came up behind her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "It's not your fault. You didn't plant the bugs there. Things happen." He was trying to make her feel better, and it seemed to be working.

If that had been all, the disaster could have been averted. But of course, the bugs didn't just get on the food. Rachel had inadvertently transferred some of the bugs from the food to her when she dumped what was left of their meal into the water. The same bugs that were now crawling from her skin to Noah's.

Rachel smiled up at him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Even if the meal was ruined, she was still enjoying her time here with Noah. She turned her face a little to the side so she was looking up at him. She was about to say how she was actually enjoying their time here for once before she felt itching on her arm.

She looked down, her eyes growing wide as she saw a trail of small bugs running up her arm. Rachel let out a shriek, pushing Noah away as she tried flinging the bugs off her skin. It was as if three more formed where she got rid of one. Puck watched her with curiosity and confusion as Rachel sprinted into the water, diving under the surface.

Puck watched her for a few seconds before he felt the crawling sensation on his skin and realized why Rachel had sprinted into the water. He chased after her, swimming out into the water, the bugs vanishing once he was submerged.

Rachel kept her distance from Puck, the flowers that had been in her hair now floating in the ocean. Her clothes were soaked and she was drenched from head to toe. This was not how she'd planned for things to happen.

Frowning, Rachel slowly swam over towards Puck, chewing on her lower lip. "Noah, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," she apologized. "I should have covered the food."

Puck shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Rach. It's over. Nothing we can do about it now." He glanced at her for a moment before rising to his feet. "We should probably get out of the water. It's dark—never knew what's swimming around and looking for a midnight snack," he said, heading back towards the shore.

Once Rachel and Puck had dried themselves off, Puck scraped together something for them to eat. It was just a little bit of fruit, but it was better than nothing. He promised he'd cook up some of the leftover boar when they got back to their camp. Rachel was ready to cut her losses and suggest they head back there instead, but she wanted to salvage the evening and not have it turn out to be a total bust.

Once they'd indulged on their meal of bananas and coconut, Rachel moved from the makeshift table into the sand, looking out at the water. It was almost pitch dark now, the only light coming from the torches Rachel had set up for them.

Noah joined her in the sand, taking a seat beside her. He placed his hand in the sand behind her, making sure not to touch her. He wasn't sure if she wanted that or not, so he was going to follow her lead for tonight. She was the one who had made the first move, after all.

"It's weird," she said after a few minutes of silence.

"What is?" Puck asked, turning his head so he could look at her. The glow from the fire cast the right amount of light on Rachel, making her eyes glow. Puck couldn't help but admit to himself how incredibly beautiful she was at the moment.

"We're hundreds of miles—maybe even thousands—away from Nathan, yet right now we're both looking up at the same sky and at the same stars. Do you think he misses us?" she asked.

Puck smiled a little, scooting closer to her in the sand. "How could he not? You're his mother, Rachel. I'm sure he's thinking about you right now and wishing you were there with him."

"That's if he even thinks we're alive," she said miserably.

"Hey," he scolded, putting his arm around her shoulders. Rachel didn't shrug him off, leaning more into his chest instead. "He's got to know we're still alive. How many times have we promised him we'd never leave him? He's got to believe in at least a small part of his heart that we're coming back for him."

Rachel smiled at that, looking up at Puck. He was looking down at her, his one hand rubbing her back in a comforting manner. "How do you know just what to say to make me happy?" she asked with a small laugh.

"Because I've been with you for longer than I can remember. I know you better than you even know yourself," he joked.

Rachel smiled, resting her head against his chest. Right here was what she missed. She and Noah used to spend time like this all the time. But everything had gotten so complicated and screwed up. Hell, she'd almost _lost_ him. But now she had a chance to get him back, and she wasn't going to waste it.

Puck ran a hand through her hair, brushing it away from her face. Her hair was still wet from the water and a bit tangled, but his fingers still ran though it easily. Rachel closed her eyes, feeling the heat rise to her face.

She remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place, how he'd made her feel like the was the most beautiful girl in the world, how he'd saved her life more than once, how he'd kept her safe for months last time.

And after all that, she'd still put everything else above him. She'd never really appreciated Noah for who he was or what he'd done for her until he was ready to walk out of her life for good.

The crash interrupted her thoughts. Rachel opened her eyes and saw that Noah's lips were close to hers, but he'd paused at the noise. Rachel turned her head away and saw a strike of electricity in the sky before she was being drowned in water.

Noah jumped to his feet as the torches were extinguished in the rain. Rachel couldn't see anything save for the bolts of lightning that kept illuminating the sky. She was looking around frantically when she felt a large hand encase hers.

Noah.

She felt him tugging on her arm. It sounded like he was trying to say something, but she couldn't hear him over the rain and thunder. She couldn't even see him.

Rachel followed him, allowing him to pull her along. After walking a few feet, the rain stopped and she was just dripping wet from the rain. It was also a little quieter. As her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, Rachel realized they were in the small area of the beach that was covered by trees, protecting them from the rain.

Noah had sat down in the sand, his back leaning against the trunk of one of the trees. Rachel carefully walked over to him, taking a seat beside him.

"I guess we'll just camp out here for the night," he said. "It's too dark to walk back without getting lost. Besides, I can't tell left from right in that rain." Rachel nodded her head in agreement, wrapping her arms around herself to attempt to keep herself warm.

Noah put his arms around her, pulling her close. Rachel leaned her head against what she assumed was his shoulder, still shivering a little. "I'm c-cold," she whispered.

"Then let's get you out of those wet clothes," he said. "I'll behave, I promise." Noah slipped her shirt off before getting her out of her shorts so she was left in her bra and underwear. Noah pulled his shirt off and got rid of his shorts so he was left in his boxers before lying down in the sand.

Rachel snuggled in next to him, allowing him to put his arms around her. "Why are you so good to me, Noah?" she asked, still shivering slightly. "I've been the world's worst wife, yet you're still here helping me."

"Because I care about you, dummy," he teased, kissing her forehead. "I can't just turn off caring about you because you've been distant recently. No matter what, I'm always going to care about you."

Rachel could just make out his features in the dark. She reached a hand up, her index finger tracing the lines of his face. "I care about you too," she whispered, avoiding the use of the 'love' word for now.

Puck turned his face towards her hand, his lips kissing her thumb ever so slightly. "I know I promised to behave, but you being so close like this is making it very hard," he murmured, kissing the back of her hands a moment later.

"So don't behave," she whispered, crawling over so she was seated on top of his chest, looking down at him as her hear swung onto her face. "You don't have to behave at all if you don't want to."

Noah looked up at her, leaning forward so he could see her eyes in the dark. Rachel was smiling down at him. He pulled her face close to his, pressing his lips to hers. No matter what he wanted right now, he was going to behave, regardless of what Rachel had just said.

But kissing. Kissing was still behaving.

Puck rolled them over in the sand so Rachel's back was on the ground and he was on top of her. His hand stayed on her hip, pressing her into the ground as he continued kissing her lips. Rachel seemed to be enjoying it as well—she wasn't pushing him away or slapping him this time, at least.

Rachel ran her hands over his bare back, her fingers tracing the outline of his shoulder blades. Puck finally pulled away when he knew he'd keep going further and doing something they'd both regret in the morning.

Rachel appeared to pout at him in the dark. "Why'd you stop?" she asked over the noise of the rain on the trees.

"Because," he said, rolling off her so he was in the sand beside her. "I promised I'd behave tonight."

"And how do you plan on behaving?" she asked, turning onto her side so she was facing him."

"By just holding you in my arms until you fall asleep," he said. And that was exactly what he did. Puck's arms wrapped themselves around Rachel's waist. He stayed like that until she was fast asleep on the sand, him succumbing to sleep not long after her, both of them still wrapped in each other's arms.


	8. Chapter 8

Judith, it turned out, was just as glad to get off the boat as Amy was. The disappointment of finding empty island after empty island was getting to her. After they left the last island, she broke down into tears in her cabin while the captain brought the boat back to land.

Amy realized her mother wasn't dealing with this. She wasn't strong enough to take control of the search anymore.

But Amy was. When she, Hiram, and her mother reached land, Amy pulled her phone out, glad to finally have service again. She called the one person she knew would be able to help them out—the one person she knew could fly a plane and who wanted to find her brother as much as she did.

"Hello?"

"Finn," Amy breathed into the phone, walking away from her mother who was being helped off the boat by Hiram. The plan was to head back to Rachel and Puck's house to regroup and replan before heading back out on the search—this time by plane, however.

"Amy?" Finn asked, feeling a bit confused. Why would Puck's younger sister be calling him? He and Puck had been best friends up until the plane crash where Puck had stolen his girlfriend, Rachel. Finn didn't resent him for it anymore, of course, but the two hadn't spoken in years.

After graduating high school, Finn married Quinn before enlisting in the army. They had a daughter, Kelly, a few years later. Kelly was nine now, soon to be ten.

Quinn had left Finn three years ago for a bartender she met on a cruise ship. She'd run off to Bermuda with him, leaving Finn and Kelly alone in Lima. Finn had gotten injured two years prior when the jeep he was driving in Iran hit a mine and blew up. He survived, but lost his left leg in the accident. Finn had been in rehab for months and Quinn had been supportive right up until she left.

"Yeah, hi," she said, chewing on her fingernails as Hiram helped Judith into a cab, waving Amy over. She nodded once, holding up a finger to indicate she'd be a moment. "So, uh, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but I'm getting the feeling you didn't call me to catch up. I mean, I don't even remember the last time I saw you. You must have still been in middle school," he said, laughing a little.

Amy bit her lip. "I don't know if you saw the news recently but—"

"Yeah. I'm sorry about your brother. I know I didn't call before but—"

"Finn, stop. Please. I'm not calling to yell at you or anything like that. I know you and my brother kind of had a falling out when he stole your girlfriend after saving her life and ended up marrying her. I'm calling because I need your help, Finn."

"My help?" he asked. "With what?"

"Finding them. They're alive, Finn. I just know they are. We've been searching, but going by boat isn't helping. I need someone who can fly a plane, and I remember your mother saying something about you learning to fly after your accident."

"Amy, that's just a hobby. I don't know if I'm the best—"

"Finn, I'm desperate," Amy said, her voice breaking. "I've been stuck on a boat for almost a month with my insane mother and one of Rachel's fathers. I haven't been able to call or text anyone this whole time. My boyfriend and I broke up because I quit school to go on this crazy search for my brother and his wife. I'm losing my grip on life, Finn. Please. I need you."

Finn looked over at his daughter who was sitting on the couch in their living room watching a movie. The closest thing he had to a brother was Kurt, and he knew he'd go to the end of the earth to find him if he disappeared.

"Alright," he said into the phone. "I'll help. Just give me a few days to get things taken care of here. I'll meet you in LA at Puck's house on Friday. I'll take care of everything, don't worry. Just stay strong, Amy. We'll find them. I promise."

xxxxx

Puck woke up the next morning to a pair of lips placing light kisses along his shoulder and neck. He turned his head to the side, opening his eyes a little as he saw Rachel lean her head down, placing another soft kiss underneath his ear.

He rolled onto his back, startling her a little. "Morning," he greeted, a grin on his face. Puck clearly remembered last night, how Rachel had let him kiss her, then slept in his arms all night with just her bra and panties on. High school Puck would have talked Rachel out of her panties, but grown up Puck knew it was a bad idea. He still didn't know where he and Rachel stood, and adding sex to the mix would just complicate things.

Rachel took a seat on his chest, her tank top back on her body. He spotted her cut offs over to the left, though they still looked soaking wet. She leaned her head down, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Morning," she giggled, her hands resting below his shoulders.

This Rachel right here, this was the Rachel he fell in love with. The fun, giggly Rachel who was fun. The one who was carefree and woke him up by kissing him and sitting on his chest. He wasn't sure when that Rachel had disappeared, but she had. Puck hadn't seen her in years, yet now she was back. He wasn't sure if it was the almost dying or being stuck on an island with only one other person that had caused her to re-emerge, but he wasn't complaining.

Puck sat up a little, placing a hand behind Rachel's neck and pulled her face close to his, capturing her lips in a gentle yet long kiss. Of course, they both had morning breath, but neither seemed to care at the moment. Rachel's eyes closed as she kissed her husband and her hands rested on either side of his face as she enjoyed the moment.

Puck was the one who broke the kiss, eventually pulling back to look at her. If he was being perfectly honest, she was a mess. Her hair was tangled and sticking up every which way. The makeup she had put on last night was now smeared on her face, giving her the appearance of a deranged raccoon. She smelled like a cross between a wet dog and a foot, and her breath was a tad offensive.

She'd never looked more beautiful.

Puck wrapped his arms around her waist as he sat in the sand with Rachel in his lap. She rested her chin atop his shoulder, her arms around his neck. Her chest was pressed against his and he could feel her heart beating slowly. He smiled, pressing his face into her hair ever so slightly.

"We should probably head back to camp soon," he murmured, feeling quite content where he was. "I'm sure you must be hungry—we didn't really get much of a dinner last night," he added, his thumbs drawing circles on Rachel's hip.

"Mm, yeah," she breathed, turning her face to the side as she started kissing over Puck's shoulder once again. "I _am_ hungry," she whispered into his ear, her tongue running over the lobe as she pulled away.

Puck had no idea what had gotten into Rachel right now. She had really decided to actively try and win him back instead of letting him do all the work. The fact that he was being pursued instead of the opposite was…well, it was pretty hot if he was being totally honest.

Puck let his hands slide up under the back of her shirt, his fingers tracing the contours of her spine as they inched up, eventually reaching her shoulder blades. Naturally, Rachel had lost a lot of weight since they'd crashed. There wasn't much to eat, and even with the fish and the boar, both of them were eating a lot less than they were used to. Puck could feel the bumps of her vertebrae sticking out of her back, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't just make food appear, but he knew he'd have to cut his meals a little to make sure Rachel got enough to eat. After all, it was his job to keep her alive.

Puck pulled her in close, kissing along the side of her neck as she let out a small laugh, his beard tickling her skin. Without a razor or shaving cream, Puck had been unable to maintain certain aspects of his physical appearance. The result of that was a bit of facial hair on his chin. At home, Rachel would have complained—she liked it when he was shaved and smooth. But here? Well, she seemed to be enjoying it, actually.

"I like your beard," she whispered seductively in his ear, her hands running down his back. "It's sexy."

"Well, that's something I never thought I'd hear you say," he muttered into her skin, his lips moving across her neck until they'd reached the hollow of her throat. Puck knew he needed to stop while he was ahead or he'd do something he'd regret later, so he reluctantly pulled away.

Rachel pouted at him, seemingly offended that he'd pulled away when she was so obviously willing. Puck stood up, his arms still around her. He set her on her feet before turning away, grabbing his shorts from the ground.

He pulled them on, buttoning them. They were still pretty wet, but he wasn't about to walk half an hour in his boxers, even if they were the only ones here. Puck found his shirt on the ground and pulled it over his head as Rachel dusted the sand off her cut offs. They both pulled their shoes on before he turned back to Rachel.

"Want a ride back?"

She looked at him, confused by his statement. She didn't see how he was supposed to give her a ride back. It wasn't as if he was in a car or had a bike, but when she saw him bend his knees a bit and offer his back to her, she grinned, getting what he meant.

She laughed, jumping onto his back. Rachel wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as he grabbed onto her legs, hooking them with his arms. They left the beach the way it was, both of them knowing they'd be returning in the near future. Puck made a mental note that he'd have to travel back here alone and build a small shelter when Rachel was sleeping.

It was then that he thought of the fire back at their camp. Well, it was definitely out now. The rain would have taken care of it. Well, he supposed it was worth it. He and Rachel's relationship was still up in the air, but it was getting back on the right track now. Her head resting on the back of his neck was proof of that.

On the way back, Rachel kept going on and on how she wanted to explore the island more. They'd been here for weeks, yet they'd only seen a small part of the island. Puck tried protesting, but Rachel brought up the fact that if she hadn't gone exploring the other day, she would have never found the beach.

That shut Puck right up.

He finally agreed that they'd go exploring later once they'd eaten a little, but only if they stayed together. Even though nothing had happened to her when she went out on her own, he still didn't feel comfortable with her walking around the island on her own with no one there to protect her.

Rachel, obviously, took offense to that, but she was slightly touched. No, she didn't like being seen as someone who was weak and needed to be protected, but the fact that Puck cared that much about her brought a smile to her face.

When Rachel and Puck made it back to camp, the sun was rising a bit more in the sky. Puck bent down to make it easier for Rachel to climb off his back. The fire was definitely out, no smoke even rising from it. The fire had wrecked the logs that had been there, meaning Puck was going to need to get some more before he could restart the fire and cook them some food.

"Well, I'm going to brush my teeth and rinse off while you do that," Rachel said, walking towards the suitcase in search of a new set of clothes to change into. "No use to have both of us smelling like a foot with offensive breath."

Puck gave her a look before letting out a laugh. He watched Rachel grab one of the few pairs of shorts she had packed along with another tank top. He saw the lacy frill that belonged to one of her pairs of underwear and shook his head. "Don't forget your knife," he reminded her. "You keep forgetting it and I'm not going to let you go anywhere alone anymore," he teased.

"You act like I would actually listen to you. I'm a lot tougher than you give me credit for," she said, running her hand over his shoulder as she walked past him. "I won't be long," she called before disappearing into the jungle.

"Remember, no shampoo today!" he called after her, unable to keep the smile off his face. This wasn't even low level flirting, but it felt like the way things used to be. They used to tease each other mercilessly all the time. Puck thought that over as he started collecting some dry logs from the edge of the jungle, assembling them in a pile after clearing the wet, used ones away, leaving them in a pile. He'd toss them later.

He went about finding some tall grass and dried palm leaves to use to help start the fire, not finding much. Everything seemed to still be drenched or destroyed from the rain the night before. Normally, he'd be regretting leaving the camp in the first place, but it was totally worth it. He couldn't regret that.

Noah went about finding some smaller sticks he could use to actually start the fire, finding a few dry ones buried beneath piles of leaves a little further in the jungle. He was about to head back to the beach and start the fire so he could also rinse off (and maybe catch a glimpse of Rachel getting out of the water at the same time), but Rachel's scream stopped that.

He froze where he stood, instantly regretting letting her go into the jungle on her own. It was only because he was feeling so high after their night together that he even agreed to that in the first place. She wasn't tough enough to brave the jungle on her own, even if she had found that beach without him. She needed him to protect her.

Dropping the wood in his hands, Puck turned, sprinting the path that lead to the lake in the middle of the jungle. He hadn't heard Rachel scream again, but maybe that was because she was too hurt to scream. He picked up the pace, making it to the lake in record time.

Where he found Rachel standing in the shallow part of the lake, topless.

Rachel stared at him for a moment before letting out an embarrassed sound, dropping into the water, her hands covering her chest under the water. "Noah, what are you doing here?" she asked, her face bright red already.

"But…you…I heard you scream," he said, looking off to the side, though his eyes kept going back to her…and her naked body hiding beneath the cook water.

"Hey, don't think I don't see you trying to sneak a peek, perve," she teased, gesturing for him to turn around. He obliged, hearing a gentle splash as she climbed out of the water. He gave her privacy as she changed, then turned back as she was pulling her shirt over her head. "It was more of a yell. I jumped into the lake and I was excited is all. Why, did you think I was hurt?"

"I—"

"You so did! Ugh, you don't think I can do anything on my own," she protested, bending over to pull her sneakers on, tying the laces as she kept her eyes on the ground. "You're going to have to trust me enough to let me clean up on my own, you know. You're acting like an overprotective father, which is doing the opposite of turning me on, you know."

"I wasn't aware it was my job to spend all day turning you—Rachel, look out!" Puck leapt forward, pushing her down and to the side, causing her to fall to the ground. She was about to lay into him for pushing her over, but she didn't.

Puck was being pushed back into a tree by a very large boar, complete with two sharp tusks protruding from his snout. Puck was bigger than the boar, but he'd been caught off guard, too busy pushing Rachel out of the way to save himself.

Rachel watched helplessly from the ground as Puck was slammed into the tree. She winced as she saw the boar maul Puck, his tusks disappearing before reappearing a moment later, bright red.

"Hey!" she shouted, distracting the boar for a moment. She pulled the knife Puck had made her out of the back of her shorts, flinging it through the air. It buried itself in the boar's neck, causing the animal to let out a loud, pained squeal. Not giving it a moment to recover, Rachel printed over to the animal, yanking the knife out of him before reaching around, slitting the boar's throat. She used her foot to push the dead animal away as Puck groaned, falling to the jungle floor, his back propped against the tree.

Rachel, her hands covered in blood, wanted to throw up over what she'd just done. She'd never killed anything like that before. She'd fished, but never actually slaughtered a living creature. But now wasn't the time. Rachel fell to her knees, pushing Puck's hands away from his abdomen. She pulled his shirt open, gasping ad the deep gash along his side. It was bleeding, but luckily wasn't gushing blood.

She doubted he'd appreciate hearing that, however. Puck was groaning in pain, trying to push Rachel's hands away.

"Noah, stop!" she scolded, gripping the help of her tank top as she pulled it over her head. "I have to stop the bleeding." She pressed the tank top into the wound, causing him to let out a yell of pain. "I don't have anything here. I'm going to have to leave you and head back to the beach for—"

"No, don't leave me," Puck groaned, unable to move due to the pain and blood loss.

Rachel kneeled in front of him, dressed in just her shorts and a bra. She placed her hands on either side of his face, causing a bit of the boar's blood to get on his cheeks. "I have to. You can't do the saving all the time. It's my turn now." Puck was struck when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. Rachel pulled his face close, pressing her lips to his for a moment. "I'll be right back, I promise," she whispered, standing up. "Please, don't die," she said before turning her back to him, sprinting away from him and in the direction of the jungle, hoping she'd find him there when she returned.

Rachel didn't even look around as she ran through the jungle, determined to make it back to the camp and head back to Noah as fast as she could. She broke through the trees, stumbling onto the beach. Rachel skidded into the sand, knocked off her feet for a moment. She got up, sprinting over to the suitcase.

She fell to her knees, pulling out her makeup bag, as well as a few more shirts. She grabbed a few of their homemade canteens before heading back into the jungle, running as fast as she could towards where she had left Noah.

Luckily, he seemed to still be alive and awake, though he was moaning loudly with pain. Rachel, gasping for air, dumped the supplies on the ground beside him.

"Rach," Puck moaned, glancing at what she had brought. "I don't think clothes and lipstick is going to help me right now."

"Well, I see getting injured hasn't stopped you from being a smart ass," she quipped, shooting him a look that was a mix of worry and annoyance. She pulled the top off one of the canteens, pulling the shirt off his wound before pouring water on it, attempting to clean it off.

"Fuck! That hurts!" he shouted, his head slamming back against the tree.

"You already have a deep cut on your side. Let's not try and add a brain injury to the mix," Rachel commented, pulling out a container of alcohol pads she used to remove makeup. She pulled one out, using it to clean off her hands. She bit her lip, looking up at Noah. "This is going to hurt," she warned before taking another one, wiping around the cut.

Rachel almost blushed at the language he was using. His hands were balled into fists and were slamming into the ground. Rachel worked as fast as she could, but it was hard to see with the blood that was still pooling out of the wound. She wanted to stitch it up, but she needed to get it to stop bleeding first.

"Okay, I'm going to pack it with some clothes for now and hope that will help stop the bleeding. I'll try and sew it up later," she said, taking a new shirt of hers before pressing it into the wound.

Puck winced in pain. "Sew it up?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. I'm not just going to leave that thing open. It'll get infected, and without an actual doctor here, you'll die." Rachel took one of Noah's shirts, tearing it in half before wrapping it around his waist, using it to keep her shirt pressed into his wound.

"Well nurse Rachel, I never knew you knew so much about health," Puck taunted.

"I don't. That's common sense, stupid." Rachel picked up the shirt that had been in his side before, putting it back on. The thing was covered in blood, but it was better than going around dressed in just a bra and shorts. "We should get you back to the beach so you can lie down and rest for a bit. Here," she said, bending down and placing his arm over her shoulders. "I'll help you."

"Rach, I'm too heavy for you. It's fine. I'll…I'll just stay here."

"What, so you can get attacked by another boar who's avenging his step-mother or whatever? I don't think so. Stop underestimating me and just listen to me," she said, a bit of force behind her voice. Puck arched his eyebrows, surprised at how she was acting. Nevertheless, he obeyed, putting his arm over her shoulders.

He was even more stunned as Rachel easily helped him to his feet. That, of course, caused a whole new round of pain. He much preferred sitting on the ground to standing and being forced to walk.

"When'd you get so strong, shortie?" he teased.

"Please. I go to the gym five times a week. Do you think I'm there just watching other people work out? I don't want to be this little girl people take advantage of. I want to be able to actually stick up for and defend myself."

Puck smiled a little, surprised by this new Rachel he was discovering. If she'd hidden this, who knew what other secrets she was keeping from him. Puck considered that thought as she helped him back to the beach, in pain the whole way.

**AN: Thanks for all your reviews guys! This chapter was getting a bit long, so sorry if the end seems kind of just thrown on there. Hope you like it so far. Feel free to let me know what you love and what you hate!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews guys. You all are awesome.**

**Also, get prepared for badass!Rachel**

Finn thought he was prepared for the scene he was going to find in Los Angeles when he arrived and Puck and Rachel's house. He wasn't.

Puck's mother, who had always been one of those crazy Jewish moms, was standing in the kitchen barking orders into a phone. She was speaking so fast that he couldn't even get the gist of what the conversation was about. Rachel's one father who Finn recognized from the time he dated Rachel was sitting at the table, apparently talking to himself about something. And Amy was sitting off to the side, her head in her hands.

It was the scene of a family broken by a horrible tragedy.

Finn limped into the room. He still hadn't adjusted to walking with his prosthetic leg, though it was getting easier every day. He was alone, having left Kelly with his mother back in Lima. He figured a trip like this wasn't the right place for his daughter. Besides, she'd been ecstatic to spend the time with her grandmother who she loved so much.

Finn set his bag on the ground, making a small thud. Everyone turned to look at him. Finn could see the stress and desperation in their eyes. He was already regretting not calling and offering his help as soon as he heard about the crash. He'd considered calling Mrs. Puckerman on more than one occasion, but she'd always kind of scared him.

"Finn!" Amy cried, leaping to her feet and running over to him. She launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank god you're here," she breathed, her face buried in his chest. "You don't know what it's been like being trapped here with them," she whispered.

Finn let out a small laugh, setting Amy back on the ground. The girl may have been in her twenties now, but she'd still be the brat who accidentally broke his arm when he was twelve. "Good to see you too, Ames." He reached a hand up, ruffling her hair affectionately.

Amy had focused her eyes on his leg. Finn had decided to wear shorts—California was too hot for pants currently. However, that also meant his metal prosthetic was clearly visible. He hated when people stared. He understood it was natural to be curious, but sometimes people were much too obvious about it.

"Ma told me," she said, looking away from his leg and back up to his face. "I should have come home and visited. I'm sorry."

Finn waved it off. "Hey, no need to apologize. You were busy learning to save lives across the country. I wouldn't expect you to fly back to Lima to see your brother's high school best friend." The thing was, that was exactly what someone like Amy would do. She had the kindest heart of anyone Finn had ever known. Her junior year of high school, she'd organized a surprise banquet for her favorite teacher when he retired. She'd also turned down every single guy who asked her to prom and asked a shy boy in her year who didn't have many friends to go with her instead. That was the type of person Amy Puckerman was.

"I also heard about Quinn. I don't even know what to say about that."

Finn held a hand up, stopping her. "Hey, not your fault. Besides, that's all in the past. Plus, your life seems to be a lot worse right now than mine has been. Not many people I know have lost their brother twice from two different plane crashes."

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm dealing."

Finn arched an eyebrow, seeing the dark circles under her eyes as well as the way her clothes hung loosely on her small frame. "Are you? You're looking thin, Ames."

"Not my fault," she protested. "I spent the past few weeks throwing up from being trapped on a rickety old boat. Of course I'd lose weight from not being able to keep any food down."

Finn rolled his eyes at her. "Alright, alright. Quit jumping down my throat. I'm just doing my job. I made a promise to your brother when we were nine that I'd take care of you if something ever happened to him."

"So that's why you're helping us? Because of some promise you made when you were a kid?" Amy asked, letting out a scoff.

"No," he said defensively. "I'm helping because Puck's been my friend for as long as I can remember, and if there's a chance he's still alive I'll do whatever I can to find him. I may have been a bad friend these past years, but I'm going to make up for it now." He looked down at Amy. "Well, are you going to show me to my room or am I expected to crash on the couch for god knows how long?"

xxxxx

As soon as Rachel got Puck back to camp, she led him into the small hut, lying him down on the mat. She headed back out to the beach, getting some more water and a little bit of food for him. When she walked into the hut, he'd passed out—most likely from the pain.

She sighed, looking him over. The fabric she'd used to bind his mound seemed to be working for now, but it was only temporary. He needed real treatment from a real doctor. Rachel had never even played a doctor in a movie.

He needed a doctor who could clean his wound and make sure it didn't get infected. Nothing here was clean—Rachel was terrified to even touch him for fear she'd give him something that would kill him.

Rachel saw a few logs on the beach in a pile. She figured Noah had been planning on making the fire before he was distracted by her. This was all her fault—if she hadn't screamed when she jumped into the water, he wouldn't have felt the need to run into the jungle, and he wouldn't have been there when the boar charged him.

Rachel bent down, arranging the few logs into a small pile. She knew everything was up to her now. Noah was incapacitated at the moment, so that meant everything he'd normally Rachel had to do on her own. Rachel grabbed a few smaller sticks and some dried grass from the jungle, making a small pile out of them. Rachel started rubbing the twigs together forcefully, keeping an eye on it for some smoke.

Rachel hardly knew how to make a fire. All the other times, Puck had made it for them. He did the hunting, the fire building—virtually everything. Rachel was so used to letting him do everything for her, she wasn't sure she could keep them alive without Puck helping her.

"Son of a bitch!" she shouted, throwing the sticks off to the side. "This is never going to work." She sunk into the sand, her legs crossed and her arms folded over her chest. She expected to hear Puck yelling at her to suck it up, but he stayed silent.

Rachel got up and poked her head into the hut, seeing Noah still on the ground, not moving a muscle. She glanced at his chest and saw it rise and fall. At least he wasn't dead.

Rachel stepped inside, kneeling in the sand beside him. She placed a hand on his forehead and the other on his chest, feeling it rising and falling. Rachel leaned over, pressing her lips to his forehead before rising to her feet once more and heading out of the hut, leaving Noah there, still unconscious.

Rachel walked over to the suitcase, pulling out another shirt. She stripped off the bloody tank top, tossing it in the sand while she pulled on the pink tee shirt she'd grabbed. Rachel adjusted her sneakers, tying them tight.

She bent down, picking the small sticks back up. She started rubbing them together forcefully once more, bending her face down and blowing on them gently to try and promote the formation of fire. "Come on, come _on_," she whispered, placing a little bit of the grass close to it as a small bit of smoke started to rise. "Ha!" she laughed, blowing a little more. She saw a small flame and let out a shriek of happiness. "I did it!" she squealed, picking up the flaming stick. She placed it on top of one of the logs, adding more of the grass to it. She watched the flames jump higher and higher as they logs caught fire.

Ten minutes later, the fire was roaring and Noah was still passed out. Rachel searched around the beach, finding one of the spears Noah had made. She snatched it before tucking the small knife Noah had made her into her belt once again.

She headed back into the jungle, walking slowly. She ducked into the trees, doing her best to walk quietly. They were running low on food and, without Noah doing the hunting, that meant Rachel was the one who had to acquire food for the two of them.

All she heard was silence in the jungle. The wind blew through the trees and through her hair, but that was all she heard. There were no other sounds. It was just her alone in the jungle.

Rachel walked deeper into the jungle, clutching the spear close to her body. She'd already killed one boar today—what was to say she couldn't kill another. She was tough—well, tough enough. She could kill a boar if she needed to.

xxxxx

Puck woke up alone in his and Rachel's hut, sore from head to toe. He didn't remember how he'd gotten here or much of what had happened. He could feel part of his side shooting with pain, but he couldn't really remember where the pain came from.

"Rachel?" he croaked out, leaning his head up. "Rach? Where are you?"

A moment later, Rachel was there. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail with pieces of it falling into her face. The scent of burning wood clung to her skin, and there were specks of blood on her shirt, as well as her hands.

"Rachel, what happened?" he asked, putting his hands behind him. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his side was too much, so he fell back into the sand.

Rachel fell to his side, pushing him down onto the mat. "Hush. You need to relax. You're hurt, and a bit disoriented too, it seems. You were attacked by a boar this morning and he impaled you in your side. You passed out as soon as we made it back here and you've been passed out ever since."

"Not to me. To you. The blood," he said, raising a shaky hand.

"Oh," Rachel laughed. "I killed a rabbit. Impressed?" she teased.

"Maybe a little," he said weakly, closing his eyes. "I'm in pain, Rachel."

"I know," she said, placing half a coconut shell beside him. "I found some flowers and took their seeds. They're poppies. I ground them up," she said, holding it out to him. "I added that to some water. It should help with the pain," she said kindly, scooting over a little. She placed his head in her lap, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Drink," she encouraged.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Rachel nodded her head. "Yes, I am. I know enough about medicine to know opioids come from poppies."

"You're speaking Greek to me," he said, his breathing picking up a bit as he started feeling the pain more.

"Heroin. Morphine. They both come from poppy plants. I think this will help you with the pain, and help you sleep better as well," she added.

"No," he said, trying to sit up again. He let out a yell of pain as his head fell back into her lap. "I have to help you," he gasped, cradling the small cup in his hands. "How're we going to survive without food and fire?"

"You underestimate me," she laughed. "The fire's roaring outside out hut and I killed dinner for us as well. You need to drink this so you're not in pain. And I need to clean out your side as best I can so you don't get an infection and die," she said, running a hand over his head. "You're a bit warm, Noah. Please, drink."

He sighed, giving her a look. "You know, this wasn't my plan for wooing you. I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you, not the other way around."

"You're always taking care of me. It's time you got a break," she laughed, kissing his forehead once more. He drained the liquid from the cup, leaning back in her lap once he was done.

Rachel placed a hand on his chest, rubbing it slightly to try and calm him a little. She wanted him to relax—she knew he was in a lot of pain and just wished there was something more she could do for him.

Rachel's eyes fell to his side, where her shirt used to cover his wound had turned bright red. Rachel knew this was bad. She couldn't stitch him up until the bleeding was under control, and it didn't appear to be that way yet.

She put on a brave face, smiling down at him. "Okay, I need you to lie still so I can clean out your wound as best I can," she said, getting up. She gently set Noah's head on the mat, picking up the tank top she'd brought with her on his chest.

Using the alcohol wipes, she cleaned her hands the best she could. Carefully, Rachel pulled the bloody tank top away from his body, gazing into the cut. There was still blood oozing from it, but not as badly as she thought it would be.

"I'm going to stitch you up," she said, producing the mini sewing kit she kept in her makeup bag. "This is going to hurt," she warned, giving him a sad smile.

"Do what you need to," he sighed, looking up at the ceiling of their hut.

"Do you have a preference for thread color?" she joked, pulling the black thread out, placing it through the eye of the needle. She cleaned off the tip of it before gently sticking it through the serrated edge of his wound.

Puck let out a pained gasp, but other than that stayed quiet. He refused to look at Rachel as she sewed him up. Rachel worked as quickly as she could, sewing the open edges of his skin together. She finished, knotting the thread before using the mini scissors to cut the extra thread away from the now closed wound.

She folded the tank top, placing it over the stitches, tying it in place with his cut up shirt. "There. All done," she said, leaning down and kissing his cheek.

Noah smiled a little. "Thanks, nurse Rachel," he teased, reaching up to take her hand.

Rachel allowed him to take her hand, squeezing it tightly. "It was no problem. I just want you to get better," she whispered. "I can't do this without you Noah." She bit her lip before leaning down again, kissing him on the lips this time.

Noah smiled against her lips, reaching a hand up and placing it behind her neck, pulling her close. Rachel kept the kiss simple, closing her eyes as her lips moved with his. After a few moments, she pulled away, licking her bottom lip quickly.

"I…I should get dinner ready," she mumbled, standing up as her cheeks turned pink. She looked back at him once before disappearing from the hut.

Puck leaned back, placing a hand behind his head. He wasn't sure if it was the kiss or the fact that whatever she'd given him for the pain was starting to work, but he was pretty sure Rachel was falling back in love with him.


	10. Chapter 10

A week after Finn arrived in California, he and Amy finally left the state in a small plane, determined to continue the search for her brother and his wife. Judith Puckerman and Hiram had left a few days earlier for Lima, deciding to let Amy and Finn continue the search. Judith had wanted to come, but Amy practically begged her to go to Ohio. She could only handle her mother in small doses.

Judith had agreed to leave with Hiram only if Amy checked in with her every day and reported the progress they'd made. Amy had gladly agreed, just to get her mother out of her hair.

Amy and Finn were now flying over the Pacific Ocean, heading back to where Amy had spent three weeks trapped on a rickety boat. She and Finn weren't able to land the plane, but Amy was going to mark on the map which places they'd need to search. Then, the two of them were going to take a boat and search those islands—Amy was going to insist on a nicer boat so she didn't get sick every day like she had on the previous trip.

"So you really think they're alive?" Finn asked, dipping the plane down a little so they had a better view of the land below them.

"I don't know," Amy admitted, looking out the window at the miles of ocean below them. "My mother seems to think so, but she's living in a fantasy land where everything's perfect and my brother isn't planning on leaving Rachel."

"Wait, back up. What are you talking about?" Finn asked, jerking his head to the side to look at Amy.

"They've been having problems for a few years. And since they both love me, I hear both sides of the story. Puck's convinced Rachel's cheating on him with Jesse, Rachel can't stand how my brother never trusts her. I told both of them to talk to the other one about their issues, but neither of them did. The day before the crash, Puck told me he was asking Rachel for a divorce. They've been faking things for a while and he's sick of it. He wants to be happy and all that shit, you know?"

Finn nodded his head. "Yeah, I get it, but I don't feel like he's right. Out of anyone I've ever known, I always thought they'd make it. They're so different and so the same at the time. They just get each other in a way I've never seen two people get each other. Plus he saved her life like, a thousand times when they crashed the first time."

"How do you even know that?" Amy asked.

"We went to a bar and got hammered after I got out of the hospital when I got home from Iran. He told me everything that happened while they were there—he'd refused to even talk about it until then. I mean, we haven't really talked that much since we graduated, but he called me when he heard I lost my leg. But from what he told me, there's no way he and Rachel would ever break things off."

"Well, he told me he was filing for divorce because he wanted a 'real wife'—his words, not mine," she added. "Though I don't know why he'd leave a Jewish woman my mother loved. She'd start booking dates at temple behind his back like she's been doing with me every time I say hello to a boy in temple. She's going to arrange my whole wedding for me then get me to temple by claiming there's free chocolate or something, I guarantee it."

"And that right there is why I'm glad my mother isn't crazy or obsessed with marrying me off. She seems content with her role as grandmother. I suppose maybe in a few years she'll ask me about getting remarried, but I think right now she's just glad I'm alive."

Amy smiled at Finn. "I'm glad you came back alive too, Finn. I'd have been really upset if you died overseas. I always liked you when I was a kid."

"Really?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. You were my first crush. I mean, you were Puck's best friend and you were over at our house so often. It's only natural that me as a young little girl would fall for you," she teased, elbowing him in the side.

"I'd like to say the same applied to me, but then I'd be a pervert. Plus, you were a pain when you were younger. You're still a pain now," he teased. "Though a lot prettier," he added.

"Keep your eyes on the sky, Hudson. We don't need another plane crash," she said, though her cheeks were pink.

xxxxx

A week after Puck had gotten injured by the boar, he still wasn't getting any better. He wasn't getting worse, but he was still spending all day lying in their hut, drinking Rachel's morphine concoction every few hours to keep the pain away.

Rachel would spend all day hunting, collecting food, and taking care of Puck. He seemed to stay in a constant state of delirium, not really sure what was going on—Rachel blamed the pain killers for that. Though, he didn't complain of pain or anything else for that matter, so she let it go.

That day, however, when Rachel walked into the hut to bring Puck food and another dose of the island-made morphine, she knew something was wrong. The hut reeked something awful, and Puck was different. He'd been out of it for the past week, but somehow he was even more out of it.

He was lying on the ground, staring up at the ceiling with glazed-over eyes. At first, Rachel thought he'd overdosed on the morphine, but when she leaned down to touch his forehead, she felt how hot he was. His body was covered in sweat and he was burning up.

"Fuck," she cursed, dropping the tray she was carrying on the ground carelessly before sprinting out of the hut. She grabbed a few pieces of clothing from the ground before heading into the ocean, soaking them in the water.

Draping them over her shoulders, she ran back into the hut, watching Puck's chest rise and fall in an unnatural manner. She draped one of the shirts over his head, then placed the others over his neck and chest.

"Rach, what are you doing?" Puck asked, his voice weak. "I'm cold."

"No, you're burning up, Noah. You've got a fever—I need to cool you down."

"But I'm cold," he complained, shivering as he laid in the sand.

"Noah, you're wound is infected. I don't know how, but it is." She moved to his side, gasping when she saw his side. The area where she'd stitched up his side was red, swollen, and oozing green pus. "No, this is bad," she whispered, not knowing what to do. She didn't know how to cure an infection. She didn't know anything about medicine, but she knew Noah was going to die soon if she didn't fix this. "Okay, we're getting you up," she said, placing her hands underneath his back, sitting him up.

"Ow, that hurts, Rachel. My head hurts. I want to sleep," he complained.

"You sleep, you die," she warned, pulling him to his feet. She draped his arm over her shoulders as she got him out of the hut, walking with him towards the jungle. "We need to get you in the lake to help cool you down. You're so hot, Noah."

"No, you're the one who's hot," he muttered, his head lolling down, his face burying into her neck.

"Noah, stop!" she ordered. "Now isn't the time. You're really sick, and I don't know what to do!" she said hysterically. "I don't have antibiotics or anything to help. All I have is a bunch of useless plants and some homemade pain remedy that keeps you high all day."

"Hey, I like the pain stuff. It makes life suck less. I need it."

"Oh god, you're addicted," she groaned, walking faster. "You're a drug addict to homemade morphine and it's my fault," she sighed, shaking her head. "This is a mess." She saw the lake in front of them and took a deep breath. "Oh thank god," she said, coming to a stop at the edge of the water.

She started pulling Puck's shirt off. He seemed confused but didn't have the energy to push her away. "What are you doing, Rachel?" he slurred.

"You need to cool down, something that won't be easy to do with all your clothes on," she explained, undoing his shorts after his shirt was off.

"Does this mean you're taking your clothes off too?" he asked, pulling her close to him. Rachel could feel how weak he was and moved her hands quicker, riding his body of all his clothes.

"You stop that nasty talk, mister. I don't care how out of your mine you are, you will still treat me like the lady I am." She bit her lip before pushing him off her and into the water. She heard the splash as he fell in then saw him surface. He was gasping for air, looking around slowly. His face was still flushed, something Rachel knew wasn't good.

"Rachel, I'm cold," he complained. "Why won't you let me get warm?"

"I'm so sorry, Noah. This is going to help you get warm, I promise. Just stay there while I try and find something to help fight off that infection. And try not to drown," she added.

Rachel turned on her heel and ran into the trees, looking for anything that could possibly help him. She grabbed a few different flowers and leaves from plants, putting them into half a coconut shell. She ran back to the lake, finding Noah relaxed against the edge of the lake, his eyes closed.

"Noah, wake up!" Rachel shouted. His eyes opened slightly as he gave her an annoyed look.

Rachel jumped into the water, fully clothed. She added water to the flowers and leaves, mashing everything up. She prayed to god this worked. She turned Puck around so she could see his wound. It was peeking out of the water, still as red as it was ten minutes ago.

Rachel dipped her hand into the mixture that had become thick like pudding. She spread it over his wound, massaging the mixture into the skin, watching it grow a little thinner until the whole thing had dried. Rachel watched Puck relax in the water and let him stay there for another half an hour before she helped him out of the water and walked him back to camp.

She helped him back into the hut and covered his hips with a shirt. He fell asleep and Rachel prayed this worked. If not, she was going to be left alone on this island.

xxxxx

Rachel didn't know when, but at some point during the night, she fell asleep beside the fire in the sand. She'd been checking in on Noah every hour to make sure he was still breathing, but at some point she grew too tired and couldn't stay awake any longer.

It was Noah who ended up waking her up. He walked out of the hut all on his own and shook her shoulders, waking her up. "Rach, open your eyes," he whispered.

Rachel opened her eyes a little, seeing him kneeling beside her. "Noah?" she asked sleepily before sitting up and falling back. "Noah! You're alive!"

"Yeah, looks like I am. Whatever you put on the wound yesterday seemed to work. I feel like my old self. It must have pulled the bacteria out."

Rachel threw herself into his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck as she buried her face into his chest. "I thought I was going to lose you," she whispered, tears falling down her face. "I thought you were going to die and I was going to be all alone," she gasped.

Puck rubbed her back lightly, holding her close. "Hey, it's okay," he promised. "I'm all better now. Well, almost all better. I think I just need to put a little more of that mixture on my side a few more times and I'll be fine," he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Rach, calm down."

Rachel was crying uncontrollably at this point. She was holding onto Puck tightly, refusing to let go. "You don't know what it was like not knowing if I was going to find you dead in an hour. I wasn't going to be able to live without you, Noah. I—I—"

"You what, Rachel?" he asked, pulling back a little so he could look at her. Her face was red, her eyes puffy. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her chest was rising quickly as she gasped in between sobs.

"I still love you. I can't live without you. I don't want to lose you, and I thought I was going to last night. I thought this was it. You were going to die and I wasn't going to get the chance to tell you how much you mean to me!" She dropped her head as a fresh round of tears started.

"Hey, no more tears," Puck said, taking a step closer to her. He placed a hand below her chin, tilting it up so her eyes were looking into his. "I don't want to see someone so beautiful crying." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "This past week, you've taken such great care of me. I know you wouldn't do that unless you still cared for me. Just like I wouldn't be trying to calm you down now unless I cared about you being upset."

Rachel wiped her eyes, trying to stifle a sob that threatened to erupt from her lips. "What are you saying?" she asked, her shoulders shaking with the silent tears still coming from her.

"I still love you too, Rach. I never stopped. You're everything to me, and even if we had a rough time, that didn't mean I stopped caring about you. You're the love of my life. Always have been and always will be. Nothing's going to change that. I'm—I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry for not trusting you and for leaving you. I want you back, Rachel. I don't want to get divorced. I want to stay together. What do you say?"

Rachel blinked her eyes a few times before jumping into his arms once more. This time, however, her lips found his and she kissed him like she hadn't kissed him in years. Her lips moved quickly with his in a deep and intense kiss. Her arms were wrapped around his neck tightly while his found their way around his waist. Eventually, she pulled away, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to force air into her lungs. She looked up at him, her cheeks bright red.

"Does that answer your question?"

Puck chuckled, dipping his head down, answering her rhetorical question with another kiss.

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